Should retail selling floors encourage English-only?

Whole Foods is reviewing its language policy after two Spanish-speaking workers said they were suspended for complaining about it.

National Retail Federation launches new website, jobs board

June 5, 2013

The National Retail Federation today announced the launch of its content-driven website, thisisretail.org, as well as Retail Jobs powered by NRF, a recruiting…

At Best Buy, the best customer experiences come from employee buy-in

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Ask any consumer about his or her best buying experience, and you’ll hear it did not simply involve a product purchase, but an entire brand encounter. This is…

How to build an expert customer service problem resolution approach

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

An expert approach to customer service requires a well-defined process for problem resolution. Let’s look at how to start setting up such a process.

IBM's Jeopardy-winning computer Watson now working on customer engagement

May 21, 2013

Two years after conquering Jeopardy, IBM's Watson is setting its sights on customer engagement.

Busting the myths of specialty retail

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

We achieve what we believe. Sometimes that serves us well, and sometimes that holds us back. Here are some of the myths that create barriers to success in…

What's new, and what's not, about giving great customer service

Customers have changed in ways that will profoundly impact how you deal with them.

'Father of customer experience' to speak at August retail event

Lou Carbone will deliver a keynote address at this year's Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit.

Why retail labor cuts are short-sighted

by Jeff Weidauer — Vice President, Marketing & Strategy, Vestcom International, Inc.

The supermarket industry is notoriously frugal. Rarely is an article written in the mainstream media that doesn’t mention the razor-thin margins retailers…

Can 'digital associates' create a personal experience online?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

In my last blog, we discussed a major difference between e-commerce and retail stores. Online retail is very effective and efficient IF you know WHAT you want…

Marketing faux pas

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

Eric Spitznagel, in his SFGate article Memorable marketing flip-flops, highlights the errors of some well-known, well-respected brands.

Retail's new industrial revolution

Cashiers aren't going to become executives ... because soon, there won't be any cashiers.

How one three-letter word can create a personal buying experience

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Much has been written and continues to be written about the battle between online e-commerce and retail stores. If it is only about lowest price, game over.

This is the most popular customer service question ever

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

“How should I compensate a customer for a service or product failure?”

Five ways to raise your retail associates' conversion rate

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Brick and mortar retail stores face the daunting challenge of getting their retail associates to convert customers who are lookers into ones who are buyers.

Make love not war: Tips on how to embrace showrooming

by Christopher Hall — writer, self

A customer experience expert discussed his showrooming strategy at DSE13. 

How to apologize to customers without alienating employees

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

In customer service, the key to an effective apology is to convey to the customer at the outset that you’re willing to take his side and share his viewpoint. 

The low costs and high returns of 'fresh customer service'

Fresh customer service demystifies the process of attracting loyal, happy customers who return again and again.

Bank of America's CEO: Brave or naive?

by Colin Shaw — Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

I have seen so many proclamations like the one Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America sent to his 270,000 employees recently stating they needed to improve…

Stage, actors, script: Great theater and retail

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

One only needs to peruse the retail headlines to see the wide ranging discussion on the importance of customer experience in retail. In IMS Retail University…