7 keys to customer experience in 2010

True dedication to the voice of the customer will be pivotal for retailers looking to improve their customer experience in the coming year.

The 5 biggest retail customer experience stories of 2009

Faced with a tough economy and shaky consumer confidence, retailers innovated when it came to customer experience this year.

How consumers killed customer service

Demand for low prices has driven down the value of customer service. Here's how retailers can drive it back up.

How mobile is set to impact the 2009 holiday retail season

In what is another challenging holiday season for retailers, mobile marketing and advertising provide a very welcome bright spot.

Barney's stands out with hybrid store/art gallery experience

The venerable New York institution is planning to open a Brooklyn location, its first new store in five years. The retailer currently ranks No. 1 among…

How discounting is hurting retailers

When retailers lower prices without asking customers to give up something in return, confusion results and sales are negatively impacted.

RetailWire Discussion: Localization and limited buys

The pendulum has swung away from generalization and back toward localization, but retailers and brands are learning how to execute locally through their…

Black Friday verdict: Number of shoppers up, average spending down

A National Retail Federation survey conducted over the weekend confirms the expected: more people spent less.

The changing face of Black Friday

The weekend after Thanksgiving remains the biggest shopping event of the year, but the reasons customers pack the stores are changing.

Shifting retailers respond to new 'season of discontent'

Smart retailers are combating the tough times with an organizational shift to a customer-centric focus.

Training for unit-level success for holiday 2009

Products may be set, but people can improve. Here are four practical ways retailers can leverage front-line employees this holiday season.

Five things any retailer can learn from Apple

While most retailers can't lean on Steve Jobs for help with reinvention, there are lessons that all can learn from the Apple/Disney partnership.

The Digital Signage Show: Inside Target's digital signage network

Target's interactive media team reveals some success factors of the company's Channel Red in-store digital media network.

Customers are buying down, and opportunities are rising, part 3

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Customer-centric experience design is explored in this final installment of "Where's the Opportunity?"

Smart retailers fight walk-aways at the checkout

An average of 1.6 percent of customers leaves the checkout queue — and the store — without completing a purchase.

Freakonomics co-author to speak at NRF 2010

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Journalist Stephen Dubner has been added to the roster of "retail's big show," taking place this January in New York.

ISME: Design of the Times 2009 award winners announced

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

At this week's In-Store Marketing Expo, a panel of 100 experts picked the year's best retail marketing initiatives in 16 categories.

ISME 09: Seven tips for marketing to families during a recession

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

A fundamental shift in consumer spending has led to new rules for marketing to moms, the "Chief Purchasing Officers" of the modern family.

Opinion: The difference between clerking and selling

The Retail Doc explains why in-store staff should be moved beyond low-hanging fruit and into real selling.

Great customer service: Remembering the little things

Tough times mean retailers need to squeeze all the value they can out of their assets, and that includes the small touches that can make a big difference.