Gymboree taps Aptos tools to enhance customer experience

January 24, 2017

The Gymboree Corp. is deploying Aptos' POS and enterprise order management technology to integrate online and in-store operations to provide customers with a…

Lululemon taps data intelligence to amplify customer experience, relationship

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

The athletic apparel brand is striving to build its human connection with consumers with data analytics.

Target’s digital chief: We’re not technology slackers any longer

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

If there is one message Target's EVP, CIO and Chief Digital Officer, Mike McNamara, wants heard loud and clear, it's this: Target is no longer a laggard when…

UX university: 4 retailers getting the user experience right

Customer loyalty requires more than offering a customer a free coffee every time they buy 10. There’s no middle ground any longer as user experience is key for…

Holiday trends report reveals online growth, greater ecommerce traction

January 13, 2017

Total holiday season spend in 2016 beat out 2015 with growth jumping from 1.8 percent in 2015 to 4.7 percent in 2016, according to First Data’s updated Holiday…

Macy's kicks off cost efficiency, streamlining strategy

January 12, 2017

In a quest to boost cost efficiency and streamline its store portfolio, Macy's will close about 100 locations by August of this year, according to a press…

Omnichannel retailers big winners in holiday season

January 12, 2017

Retailers with an omnichannel strategy enjoyed a robust return-on-investment this holiday season as consumers spent 16 percent more on holiday purchases in…

5 key success factors for 'omnichannel as the new normal'

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Chris H. Petersen explains why assorting the hottest products is not enough to win today's consumers.

Limited shuttering all U.S. stores, 4,000 jobs cut

January 10, 2017

The new year brings the closing of a well-known women's apparel retailer as The Limited is closing all of its 250 U.S. stores and laying off 4,000 workers.

Kate Hudson's Fabletics is enjoying fabulous growth

January 6, 2017

Activewear brand Fabletics, co-founded by actress Kate Hudson, plans to launch 12 new retail locations this year.

2016 in review: Top retail customer experience stories

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

The year 2016 was one of technology, big changes and big steps by retailers aiming to boost and hone the customer experience. Here's a look back at the big…

New year, new resolutions: 4 brand strategies to boost customer satisfaction in 2017

From creating improved customer experiences to a renewed focus on employees, 2017 will be a year where companies deploy new employee engagement strategies that…

Retailers striving to beat Amazon must perfect the customer experience

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

To avoid losing more market share to Amazon, competing e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers must perfect the customer experience from the moment a…

Convenience for retail consumers will demand innovation in 2017

2016 was an interesting year in retail. Many established brands died a bricks and mortar death. While many thought this signaled the demise of the physical…

Online assortments: Long-tail, curated or castrated?

by Chris Petersen — Owner, IMS

Declaring you are omnichannel is the easy part. Achieving profitability will require balancing the tradeoffs of long-tail assortments vs. the ability to…

Branded mobile pay bodes big promise for retailers

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Check out a webinar presentation featuring an IBM expert that offers up terrific insight and knowledge regarding the branded mobile payment solution now…

5 rules for a retail town square: What Apple, Whole Foods Can Teach Us

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Here's a potential formula for retail of the future: One Apple squared equals a community experience minus the traditional sales space.

Consider a 'beyond digital' approach to power omnichannel experience

A successfully digitally transformed organization delivers superior digital experience around products and services. That, in turn, creates value and…

With omnichannel the devil is in the data

Retailers (and their suppliers) must leverage the omnichannel network to stay relevant and harness these rich cross-channel opportunities.

Black Friday: Gimmick, gone or more relevant than ever?

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Is Black Friday relevant, needed, necessary, or even a valuable marketing opportunity, or has it become a gimmick in the retailer's quest to grab consumers…