Customer Retention

A brand’s ability to optimize customer experiences based on data is a true differentiator in today’s competitive retail landscape.

In episode 46 of Total Retail Talks, Chuck Surack, founder and CEO of Sweetwater Sound, the nation's largest online music retailer, discusses how the brand has grown from humble beginnings to a leader in its space. Hint: treating its customers and employees the right way has a lot to do with it.

“I LOVE this shop,” my wife said when she came across a new dress shop in our local town. Love is a strong word, but that's exactly what retailers are trying to inspire in customers when they endeavor to build an emotional connection with them. The Harvard Business Review says that customers are emotionally connected…

In the rush to earn business in the e-commerce environment, it’s easy for retailers to get tunnel vision toward final purchase.

You may think of big data, content marketing, mobile or social as being the future of marketing, but it’s the combination of all four that helps retailers make great experiences for customers. In essence, customer experience is the now and future king of marketing in the retail industry — the connection between a positive worker…

“We’re like poker buddies,” says Richard Buonomo about Mario Mirabella, his personal shopper at Brooks Brothers as he searches the shop for the right ‘brownish button.’ “He is very picky and fussy,” says Mario, a second generation master tailor at the flagship store in New York. “But we make everything perfect. That’s what a personal shopper…

Retail is intensely competitive. You either need to go really big or find a niche where your service, quality, convenience or personal touch are more appealing to some people than going to Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Home Depot or some other take-your-pick competitor with crushing economies of scale. However, there’s a new problem with this. In their…

Seventy-five percent of U.S. companies with loyalty programs generate a return on that investment. With so much success on the line, it’s surprising how many retailers still outsource loyalty programs, either directly or indirectly, to third-party vendors through cash-back partnerships. Third-party loyalty partners are attractive to small and midsized retailers as they don’t require in-house technology or labor…

No green thumb? No need to worry, said Kmart, announcing a new lifetime guarantee on certain plants sold at its lawn and garden centers. Customers who buy a tree, shrub or perennial with a "Plants for Life, Guaranteed" tag can, upon the plant's untimely passing, receive a replacement or store credit if they return the "Guaranteed…

In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, often referred to as the “Age of Amazon,” it's become increasingly important for companies to envision and implement comprehensive commerce strategies to better connect with consumers in a meaningful way. However, only a quarter of executives at major enterprises believe their organizations are on the right track in this…