CRM

In episode 174 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Patrick Stewart, CEO, Apricot Lane Boutique, a women's fashion retailer. In this wide-ranging conversation, Stewart discusses what Apricot Lane is doing to acquire and retain millennial customers, how the brand's social consciousness factors into those efforts, why the in-store shopping experience is integral…

And … *poof*, there goes another North American retail icon. How on earth could this have happened? Here’s a hint: Don’t blame Amazon.com, the internet or Walmart. There is, of course, never just one thing that leads to the downfall of a company. It’s almost always a progressive and insidious erosion created by poor leadership…

How does customer experience (CX) affect brand loyalty, and what forms of engagement are most meaningful to today’s consumers? We set out to find the answers to these questions and more in order to help brands understand the impact of CX and how to best position their brands for future success. We surveyed 1,200 U.S. consumers to understand their personal experiences interacting with brands, learn their preferences communicating with brands, and assess how experiences and engagement impact brand loyalty. Here’s what consumers had to say and why it matters to brands.

Today customer loyalty is much more than a rewards program. It’s about recognizing and reinforcing total customer value and creating sustained personal engagement with customers throughout every step of their brand journeys. Traditionally, loyalty has been achieved through a series of rational benefits delivered to members in exchange for their business. But now emotional benefits have…

Kenneth Cole, the men's and women's footwear and apparel brand, has recently partnered with True Fit, a data-driven personalization platform, to help it get to better know its customers — both direct and wholesale — and deliver a personalized shopping experience. In this interview with TJ Papp, vice president of digital and e-commerce at Kenneth…

All marketers want to strike an emotional chord with consumers, which is why so often we see ads with children and puppies, or commercials where the adult son returns home to surprise mom on her birthday. The general consensus is, though fleeting and situational, the emotions these communications elicit drive consumer behavior. While every psychologist…

When it comes to launching a brand and building a company, it can be easy to get swept up in the excitement of making a big impact in the marketplace. However, it's important to understand that you're not alone in this goal. In fact, it’s estimated that more than 300 out of every 100,000 adults launch new…

Modern retail is underscored by aggressively fast disruption and upheaval. One minute the Waltons of Walmart are in the headlines for achieving a higher net worth than Jeff Bezos; the next Amazon.com nails its trillion-dollar valuation. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Between acquisition sprees, private equity investments, legislative concerns and technology curveballs, the…

More than 1,000 marketing and customer experience leaders in the U.S. and U.K. were surveyed to determine if internal processes enable companies to deliver the experience promised to customers. This report from customer engagement and analytics software provider Calabrio reveals key findings and missed opportunities in digital customer communication strategies.

Another Amazon Prime Day has come and gone. This e-commerce phenomenon is the perfect opportunity for vendors and brands to get in front of millions of Amazon-obsessed shoppers, who are looking for the best deals and the most convenience. While retailers (from big brands to small businesses) are now celebrating in the massive sales they…