Category: Customer Experience

November 22, 2023

In today’s rapidly evolving retail landscape, generative AI is the latest technology transforming the way retailers reach and engage shoppers. Getty Images’ VisualGPS consumer survey finds that 79% of Americans are excited about the potential of using AI to increase […]

November 21, 2023

The winter holiday season is a critical time for retail. November and December holiday sales average around 19% of total retail sales, per the NRF, and this share can be even higher for some department stores and specialty retailers. Emarketer […]

November 20, 2023

Consumer spending was top of mind as Target and Walmart released their third-quarter earnings, causing both retail giants to strike a cautious tone concerning inventory and the upcoming holiday season. Target While combating industry challenges like inflation and inventory shrink, […]

November 16, 2023

Insider and others have reported that free samples are making a return to the aisles of Costco and expanding into more supermarkets. During the pandemic, Costco completely shut down its allocations of free samples but eventually resumed and served them […]

November 15, 2023

The incoming adoption of augmented reality (AR) glasses has the potential to transform life as we know it — and that includes physical retail. Augmented reality is set to make the brick-and-mortar experience more personalized, immersive and efficient for retailers […]

November 14, 2023

After navigating a long, complex bankruptcy process, Toys R Us has expanded its brick-and-mortar presence via flagship stores and shop-in-shop locations. Though the bankruptcy proceedings began in 2018, they stretched into last year. The retailer reached a resolution with its […]

November 9, 2023

Rolling Stone recently published an article drawing attention to the importance and often underappreciated power of retail audio advertising. The author, Amanda Dorenberg, claims that “the quarantine highlighted consumers’ demand for multisensory buying experiences, and no other medium fortifies the […]

October 31, 2023

Last year, holiday sales grew a modest 5.3% over 2021, according to the National Retail Federation. These results fell below initial predictions due to economic volatility driven by inflation and high interest rates, which explains why retailers are extra cautious […]

October 26, 2023

Today City Bird is a beloved retail institution in Detroit, but when the store opened in 2009 this stretch of Canfield Street looked very different. “The view from our counter was just an empty auto factory and a vacant lot,” […]

October 25, 2023

Parasocial relationships are defined as the relationships that users develop with media personalities — and these interactions have a major impact. The influencer field has capitalized on this phenomenon for decades and often draws major celebrities like the Kardashians and […]

October 17, 2023

Phone-based customer service, or voice, is well established as the most commonly used and the most tightly managed customer service channel. Entire service teams are dedicated to keeping down the high costs of phone support by practicing what the industry […]

October 16, 2023

Target is expanding its Roundel retail media network on several fronts, a move that arrives as advertisers are in the thick of their holiday planning. Roundel is broadening its capabilities with the introduction of a self-service buying tool along with […]

October 16, 2023

Despite a positive job market and a stabilized economic environment, most consumers (96%) are looking to save money in the short term, according to a recent study from PwC. But at the same time merchants’ margins are being squeezed, making […]

October 13, 2023

Hy-Vee is implementing Samsung Ads to support its retail media strategy. Brand marketing teams will now be able reach customers via Samsung Connected TVs, Direct Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising and now, in-store displays. With advanced measurement, targeting and programmatic transactional technology, […]

October 13, 2023

The retail world of pharmaceutical drugs is being shaken up like never before. According to TheStreet, CVS Health stated in late 2021 that it will “reduce store density in certain locations and close approximately 300 stores a year for the […]

October 6, 2023

More time means more money. This is an adage that rings true in many walks of life, retail being one. More time spent in your store amounts to more money spent, right? Right. The Wall Street Journal reports that retailers […]

October 4, 2023

The opening keynote session of this week’s Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) EDGE conference in Orlando provided an inside look at the supply chain of Minneapolis-based Target, one of the world’s largest retailers. In a fireside chat with […]

October 4, 2023

Whether it was inspiration from this “summer of sport” or keeping up with the ever-changing weather, the increasing unpredictability of consumers’ shopping habits was on display this summer. From strawberries and cream sales soaring during Wimbledon to the switch from […]

October 3, 2023

By my recollection, the world of flexible fulfillment hit an inflection point about 15 years ago. It was at that point that putting the technology and operations in place to fulfill from an increasingly complex supply chain network embarked upon […]

September 29, 2023

Personalization is no longer a perk for shoppers – it’s an expectation. Along with this expectation comes the assumption from shoppers that retailers and brands hold a lot of their data. While some are still squeamish about this fact, studies […]