Should You Recruit Gay Men To Sell Your Merch? Maybe

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

The Expressive is the spark-plug to your crew. They are the one that adds color, excitement and fun. Is that a gay thing? No, Bob Phibbs says it is an…

Retail Doc to lead interactive session at Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit

May 16, 2010

Bob Phibbs, retail training guru and author of "The Retail Doctor's Guide to Growing Your Business," will lead an interactive session on the first full morning…

The Moment of Truth: The 4 P's of Retail

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

All retailers use vast amounts of data to make decisions – whom to target, how to target, when to target, what to sell, how to sell, where to sell, etc.  But…

Four lessons to learn from the success of Miracle Mile Shops

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

The Vegas shopping destination has posted double-digit growth for four consecutive months. Here's how.

10 Reasons Your Retail Competitors Have More Business Than You

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

If I hear one thing over and over from small business owners its, "I just need more customers." Heard it before 9/11, heard it after, heard it during the…

April Quote

by Mike Wittenstein — Customer Experience and Service Designer, Storyminers

Are the experience you offer customers and the stories they share about you the same?

Making Retail Work: What To Say Before They Go Out The Door

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Giving thought to what employees should say as customers leave is something most of us never consider when trying to build sales. I'm reminded of my first…

What does the iPad mean for retail self-service?

Software providers are already developing employee training and customer service apps for the new Apple device.

Survey: Retailers focusing on leadership development, diversity to nurture talent

March 30, 2010

Deloitte and the National Retail Federation (NRF) have released the results of a comprehensive survey designed to provide an in-depth look into where retailers…

NRF: Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy's 10 lessons for success

A legend of retail shares a wealth of advice with a packed house Tuesday morning.

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.

Survey: Retail employees not giving good customer service, despite tough job market

December 7, 2009

Despite working in a sector that has suffered job losses averaging roughly 50,000 per month since the start of the recession, retail employees are not…

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.

At the Microsoft store, staffers break into song and dance

November 17, 2009

Blogger Brad Slavin recently wrote about a visit to the Shops at Mission Viejo mall, which is notable as one of the locations for the new Microsoft retail…

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?"

Walmart under fire for sick leave policy

November 2, 2009

Punishing workers for taking sick leave puts Walmart on track to be a major spreader of swine flu this fall, according to a new report by the National Labor…

Four strategies for a better retail holiday season

Retailers need to prepare for the upcoming season with carefully planned merchandise assortments, inventory levels and cross-channel promotions that drive…

Best Buy CEO: Low prices are 'table stakes' for retailers

by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

October 25, 2009

Customers care about low prices, but they want a lot more from their retailers than just the best deal.