SXSW: Preparing for the new omnichannel customer experience

With so many discussions about omnichannel at SXSW, it's easy to assume we're all talking about the same thing.

Report says 91 percent of women do online research before making a purchase

March 19, 2014

Marketing firm Interactions has released Retail Perceptions, a survey that reveals insights from consumers on their shopping behaviors as well as their…

Millennial marketing lessons from Jimmy Fallon

by Jeff Fromm — Executive Vice President, Barkley

How do you rebrand a company and increase its reach to the Millennial demographic? Easy — hire Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy Fallon took over NBC's The Tonight Show in…

US consumers twice as likely to share a bad service experience than UK counterparts

March 14, 2014

New research from NewVoiceMedia reveals that U.S. consumers are twice as likely to share a bad customer service experience than those in the U.K., whereas…

Sephora launches Beauty Board social shopping platform

March 13, 2014

Sephora has announced the launch of Beauty Board, its new social shopping platform designed to engage clients through beauty images and allow them to post…

Yelp launches in Mexico

March 13, 2014

Online reviews site Yelp Inc. today announced the availability of Yelp Mexico. Yelp's free iPhone and Android applications will be available as well as its…

If our data is currency, who is the bank?

by Doug Stephens — President, Retail Prophet Consulting

If our data is currency, who's the bank? It's a question that every brand and retailer should be giving serious thought to. Those who don't may soon find…

SXSW: Retail innovation in the age of the customer

Discussions about how customers interact with brands gave way to how brands have a lot to learn from entrepreneurial retailers.

Fashion retailer ASOS launches shopping app

March 10, 2014

ASOS, a U.K.-based online fashion retailer, has announced the launch of its U.S. shopping app, offering more than 850 brands and the ASOS private label for…

Pursway announces patented purchase influence tech

March 4, 2014

Big data analytics firm Pursway has announced the availability of its purchase influence targeting tools, MyPIVO (Purchase Influence Value Order), fastPIVO and…

CashStar launches new version of digital gifting platform

March 3, 2014

Digital gifting company CashStar has announced the release of CashStar 5. Delivered as an SaaS solution, the company said its platform delivers ROI for…

Online shopping up 8 percent in the week before Valentine's Day

February 14, 2014

IBM today released new data from its Digital Analytics Benchmark to capture online shopping trends during the week leading up to Valentine's Day 2014 (Feb. 7 …

Sears offering curbside pick-up

February 12, 2014

Sears has announced that it is offering customers the ability to place mobile orders for products and receive them at the store within five minutes, without…

Customer loyalty test: Will your customer evangelize your business?

by Shep Hyken — CAO, Shepard Presentations

The term "loyalty" usually brings to mind a long period of time … in other words, a lifetime customer. However, when I teach the concept of loyalty, I like to…

At Marc Jacobs pop-up shop, customers paid with a tweet

The designer experimented with getting shoppers to trade social currency for their purchases.

Retail CFOs forecast 5 percent sales growth for 2014

February 11, 2014

Despite ongoing market uncertainty, retail chief financial officers are feeling more confident about the state of the consumer. According to a new BDO USA, LLP…

New social media monitoring, analytics tool hits market

February 11, 2014

Market Force Information, a provider of customer intelligence solutions, is helping restaurants and other multi-location businesses provide better customer…

Michael's stores hosting live 'Pinterest parties'

February 10, 2014

Hometalk, a home and garden social network, has announced that its members will co-host Pinterest parties in 100 Michaels Stores nationwide on Feb. 16 from 1–…

Five ways to improve customer service with video

Video can help reduce customer service costs, and is more likely to get your customers engaged.

Caribou Coffee installs larger-than-life Pinterest board at Mall of America

February 4, 2014

To celebrate the launch of its new Real Inspiration blend, Caribou Coffee has installed a 64-foot-tall "Living Pinterest Board" in the rotunda of the Mall of…