Three examples of radical differentiation at Lululemon

The popular yoga retailer 'zigs when everybody else zags.'

Robo-pricing: The latest pricing game

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

In the July 8, 2012 Financial Times article, "Amazon 'robo-pricing' sparks fear," we get a glimpse at the latest game in pricing. According to the article…

RCE Podcast episode 11: Is retail any fun anymore?

A study this week suggesting that "retail therapy" isn't a real phenomenon leads to a fascinating discussion about how we feel and how we want to be spoken to…

Big data: Finding an ant in an avalanche

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

Big data. It's the latest answer to our marketing prayers; the "holy grail" that will deliver the ultimate return for our precious marketing spend. Last year…

Walgreens, LoyalBlocks unveil loyalty innovations

by Natalie Gagliordi — Editor of KioskMarketplace.com, Networld Media Group

The Walgreens app lets customers scan their mobile devices to earn points and redeem awards without a physical card.

Customer experience management 101: Identifying channels of communication

by Kimberly Nasief — President, Measure Consumer Perspectives

Customer experience management has changed, thanks to the digital age. Social media has changed the way businesses interact with their customers. No matter the…

The new 'super shopper' and the fate of bricks and mortar retail

Despite the mobile boom, 90 percent of consumers still embrace the physical store when making retail purchases.

Ignorance is expensive

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

A construction company complained that while revenues were up over 40%, their profits hadn't grown much at all. When asked who their ideal customer is, they…

Back-to-school shoppers boost August sales, slightly

September 14, 2012

According to recent calculations from the National Retail Federation, August retail sales had a boost from back-to-school shoppers.

Why Costco discounts postage stamps ... and why it matters

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

A good equation for value is as follows: Value = Personal Benefit minus Cost and Inconvenience. But the "personal benefit" variable can easily override the…

Fed policy hinders home sales

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

The Federal Reserve governors' decisions to keep mortgage rates artificially low are hindering new home sales. Sound crazy? Isn't it true that lower interest…

RCE Podcast episode 10: A #Likeable social media chat with @DaveKerpen

We're taking a break from our usual format this week and next, so that we can bring you a few brief highlights from the third annual Retail Customer Experience…

How to increase demand, counter-intuitively

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

A July 30, 2012 Reuters report stating that "Two of the country's major airlines, Kingfisher and state-owned Air India, are reducing capacity, which helped…

Back to school shopping drives retail revenue up 11 percent

September 5, 2012

U.S. consumers took advantage of back to school shopping this summer, according to findings from IBM. Over the months of July and August sales grew by 1…

'What Would Tommy Do?' The straightforward question that defines the brand strategy at Tommy Bahama

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Defining a brand strategy that is differentiated, sustainable, and successful long-term is critical to retailer success. Tommy Bahama, a lifestyle company that…

JCP spurring Macy's profitability?

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

In his August 8, 2012 New York Post article, "Macy's profit climbs 16%," James Covert states "[Macy's] Profit rose 16% as the New York-based retailer continued…

How Plink works: A conversation with CEO Peter Vogel

At this year's Retail Customer Experience Executive Summit, attendees got to spend some time with Peter Vogel, CEO of Plink, a platform that allows shoppers to…

SUPERVALU seeks customer segmentation strategy

August 28, 2012

SUPERVALU Inc., one of the largest grocery companies in the U.S., has chosen LoyaltyOne's Precima customer analytics solution to create a segmented consumer…

7 easy ways to get more visitors to your retail website

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Any retail consultant knows that more traffic to your brick and mortar retail store means more sales.

RCE Podcast episode 8: This week's big changes at Best Buy, Groupon

Two big retail names announced big changes this week: Best Buy installed its new CEO, and Groupon shook up its leadership with a new emphasis on its…