CRM

At the start of the pandemic, a tidal wave hit the retail community. Restrictions no longer permitted shoppers in-store, resulting in a surge of online purchasing. Because of this, brands shifted, and they did so quickly. Those that relied on their brick-and-mortar presence pivoted by putting muscle behind e-commerce marketing strategies, causing direct-to-consumer (D-to-C) brands…

It’s no secret that the pandemic accelerated the pace at which e-commerce is growing — with marketing strategies dynamically pivoting to meet the ever-evolving change in consumer behavior. In-person retail was hit hard by rolling lockdowns, forcing consumers to shop from the safety of their homes, and consequently disrupting consumer behavior for decades to come.…

In episode 306 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Emilie Hoyt, founder and CEO of LATHER, top quality products for the body, face, hair and home made from unique, natural ingredients and pure essential oils. Hoyt discusses LATHER's business, what led her to start the brand, and to what she attributes the company's 20-year…

In a session during the National Retail Federation's (NRF) inaugural Retail Converge event last month, Hal Lawton, president and CEO of Tractor Supply Company (TSC), discussed how the company is planning to be an even more integral part of its customers’ lives through its Life Out Here strategy. In addition, Lawton addressed TSC's recently relaunched loyalty program,…

The pandemic changed everything … how we worked, lived, and interacted with our friends and family. And it really affected what we purchased, how we purchased, and which companies we purchased from. How many of those changes are permanent and what will it look like after the dark cloud of COVID subsides? This is a…

For decades, most retailers depended on foot traffic to their brick-and-mortar stores much more than the website they felt compelled to build late in the last century. Furthermore, “direct to consumer” isn’t really a new concept; thousands of prosperous companies marketed by direct mail and catalogs only, collecting orders via mail and phone before “that…

During a virtual keynote hosted by the National Retail Federation (NRF) on June 24, Jeff Gennette, Chairman and CEO of Macy’s Inc, discussed the company’s digital transformation since the beginning of the pandemic, how customer behaviors have changed and what the department store is doing to adapt, and why diversity and inclusion is critical to…

If there was any doubt that consumer behavior can change rapidly, 2020 erased it for the foreseeable future. Last year’s events also erased the idea that customers would tolerate poor experiences during times of massive change. Now it’s clearer than ever that consumers are setting the terms of how, where, and when they engage with…

During the pandemic, brands turned to digital initiatives to reach customers, not only for marketing, but also for other stages of the consumer lifecycle. Here at Vibes, our own data showed a 200 percent increase in automated mobile transactional messages from January 2020 to December 2020. The messages ranged from providing consumers with information about…

“We know that some of our customers’ behaviors will shift back to pre-pandemic, and we know that some will never be the same. The issue is, we have no idea which is which.” In a recent discussion with a Fortune 500 CEO, he articulated to me what so many retail, CPG and commerce executives are…