Apple is going to business school

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

There is always a lot of press about Apple. There are Apple stock forecasts, new product predictions and literally hundreds of stories about their stores. But…

Showing your appreciation (or not)

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

As leaders we sometimes do things that, entirely unbeknownst to us, have a negative impact on our staff. One example of that is how we come back into the store…

Empathy, emotion and the customer experience

Eighty percent of companies think they deliver great experiences, but only 8 percent of customers agree.

Commentary: Why retail must differentiate or die

Retailers can no longer be all things to all shoppers.

New solution helps control labor, inventory costs

WhentoManage has launched a new platform to help control inventory and labor costs, said Walker Thompson, VP of sales and marketing. The solution connects the…

Microsoft attempts to boost sales with Best Buy mini-stores

June 14, 2013

Microsoft has announced that it will open 500 mini-stores within existing Best Buy locations in the U.S., selling Windows-based tablets, computers and other…

ShiftNote: 'Post Its are so last year'

Leigh Ann Thompson of ShiftNote chats about how the company's digital solution makes communication easy for managers who need to pass on info to one another as…

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.