Creating a brand with a life of its own

Cultivating the customer passion that top brands enjoy.

Study: Retailers willing to sacrifice efficiency to improve service

July 23, 2008

DENVER — According to a new RSR Research report, "The New Customer-Centric Retail Supply Chain: Benchmark 2008," better performing retailers (what RSR calls…

Issue resolution key to repeat call-center business

July 21, 2008

TWICE: Resolving a customer-service problem on the patron's first call will entice that person to continue doing business with that company 49 percent of the…

More retailers testing the 'wisdom of crowds'

July 20, 2008

San Francisco Chronicle: Companies like Threadless, a T-shirt company in Chicago, and Ryz, an athletic shoe company in Portland, Ore., are making it possible…

Customer experience and IP

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Protecting crucial aspects of an in-store experience against imitators.

Tomax, CXA partner on tech for auto retailers

July 17, 2008

eWeek: Enterprise retail solutions provider Tomax and WHI Solutions, a specialist in technology for automotive retailers and wholesalers, are integrating key…

Blog: Employees do what is measured, incented and celebrated

July 15, 2008

Customer Experience Matters: Some executives struggle to understand why their company doesn't deliver better experiences to customers. But it shouldn't be…

Staples expands video-assist program

July 14, 2008

SEATTLE — Experticity, provider of video-assisted customer support solutions, announced that Staples Business Depot, Canada's largest supplier of business…

Full-service gas stations are thing of the past

July 14, 2008

The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun: Poplar Corner Service Station in Jackson, Tenn. is one of a dwindling number left in the United States that offers full service. The…

Trying on Clothes, 2.0

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Do shoppers want high-tech dressing rooms?

Big-name retail comes to grips with online

July 9, 2008

CNBC: If there's one indisputable truth about retailing on the Internet, it's that the established retail cliques have consistently underestimated how it…

Calgary Co-op completes self-checkout install

July 8, 2008

DALLAS — Calgary Co-operative Association Limited (Calgary Co-op) has completed a chain-wide rollout of self-checkout that has enhanced customer service and…

Building the perfect survey

Best-practices for crafting a survey that customers will complete.

Experiential store environment leads to big sales boost

July 7, 2008

Display & Design Ideas: Caryn Lerner, president and chief executive of Toronto-based Holt Renfrew & Co. Ltd., recently attributed a sales increase of…

In-store Web access drives sales for JCPenney

July 2, 2008

Internet Retailer: It's been nearly two years since J.C. Penney Co. Inc. connected all 35,000 of its point-of-sale systems to the Web, giving associates in…

Survey: Small stores, independents preferred over big names

June 30, 2008

Retail Week: On Friday, Retail Week published the "100 Stores You Must Visit" and a quick scan through the names reveals an uncanny fact: the great bulk of the…

Social e-commerce taps voice of shopper

Web 2.0 connectivity changes the game for online retail.

Study: Customers won't tolerate waiting in line more than four minutes

June 26, 2008

DALLAS — A study conducted by M/A/R/C Research found 10 percent of shoppers are frustrated enough to leave a check-out line if the wait is too long. The study…

Think globally, sell locally

Ethnic products reach a larger audience than ever before.

As economy slows, stores emphasize customer service

June 22, 2008

Reuters: As high gasoline prices and tighter credit lead people to curb their shopping, consumer products companies are renewing their focus on customer…