Why Your Incentive Plan Might Be Killing Sales

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

New research into human motivation may hold some surprises for companies who have long held to the "carrot and stick" approach to incentives.  The truth is…

Aligning store labor and inventory leads to customer advocacy

Inability to integrate labor and inventory forecasts can drag down customer experience.

How To Politely Say, "You Suck" to a Retailer

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

When you don't get a word from an employee at a store, call them on it with this simple tool to improve their customer service. 

Lessons learned from Macy's: Going local can have big payoffs

A local strategy can drive sales, allow flexibility with promotional campaigns.

Rumors of the Death of Aspirational Shopping Are Greatly Exaggerated

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

The goal of aspirational brands is to allow us to feel better about ourselves. That’s what we have always done. And always will do.

Using assumptions as a problem-solving tool

Author shares a four-question approach to isolating and solving operational problems.

Opinion: Customers want relationships, not low prices

Retailers need to solve the customer's problem, but also deliver satisfaction on an emotional level.

Yes Virginia, Retail Holiday Sales Will Suck... Again!

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Wherever you look from now until the first week of January, there will be one consistent message: retail holiday sales will suck. That's because the evidence…

Checkpoint Systems launches online training for retail store operations

September 29, 2010

Checkpoint Systems, Inc., a global supplier of shrink management, merchandise visibility and apparel labeling solutions for the retail industry and its supply…

Ten best practices for implementing and fine-tuning retail metrics

Dashboards provide a clear picture of business operations, provided the metrics behind them are properly designed.

Report: In an online world, retail stores still crucial

September 20, 2010

Three out of four global communications providers plan to open more communication provider-owned retail stores over the next two years and must cultivate an…

Empowering store operations with analytics and business intelligence

Retailers can exploit BI, coupled with smart phone technology, to help store ops do its job.

Unbendable Customer Experience Rule #1

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Regardless of how much you spend to support it, your brand is still no better than how your customers experience it.

Casual Male taps Headway for national recruitment

August 4, 2010

Headway Corporate Resources, a North American workforce solutions provider, has announced its recruitment solution partnership with Casual Male Retail Group…

Rebuttal to Mary Hunt in Woman's Day Magazine: Retailers Don't Trick Customers

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Mary Hunt takes aim at retailers by telling Amiable personalities they are all wrong and should become like her, an Analytical. I hate this type of X-files…

If the Culture Fits

by Sharon Goldman — Senior Director, COLLOQUY

In the humorous commercials from California’s Milk Advisory Board, viewers are told that "great cheese comes from happy cows." Whether or not cheerful bovines…

No, Your Customer Can't Put Off the Purchase!

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

If you can't find the energy to explain why waiting is not an option, you'll never make a sale in this economy. And the more expensive the item is that you…

Shaping customer experience a critical strategy as retail recovers

'Indistinguishable sameness' can alleviated by a cohesive experience plan.

An Inconvenient Truth About Bad Customer Service

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

What if you could get the least engaged staff member to actually care about your customers?  What kind of difference would that make to your business? In this…

Abercrombie & Fitch: Sex Obviously Doesn't Sell

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

If “sex sells” then why have they lost so many of their customers? Sure their Manhattan store sells $100 million a year to gawker tourists, but how about the…