Customer Service

Today more than ever, retailers are being forced to take their focus on customer satisfaction to extraordinary levels. The standard for customer satisfaction is being driven higher by companies like Amazon.com and its large retail competitors as these companies move from a focus on “customer satisfaction” to “customer obsession.” This obsession has made factors such…

Wal-Mart is throwing 20,000 parties in its stores across the country in an attempt to attract more holiday shoppers. According to a company press release, the parties will take place on Nov. 4, Dec. 2 and Dec. 16, and will include 165,000 in-store toy demos, visits from Santa and other activities. The Nov. 4 party will…

If you want to be a showstopper in your market, then you must be innovative. Not only innovative — you must WOW prospective customers or clients with your amazing ingenuity. To be a showstopper, you must amaze people — not only amaze them with what you're offering them, but also amaze them with how you're…

For retailers, customer loyalty and creating a high customer lifetime value are critical, especially when it comes to maximizing revenue. Retaining customers, however, is challenging. It's about more than just the quality of your products and an aggressive pricing strategy, for example. Indeed, a recent American Express study found that 73 percent of customers are willing to…

Beauty retailer Sephora has promoted Mary Beth Laughton to executive vice president of U.S. omni retail. Previously, Laughton was senior vice president of digital. “Mary Beth is a visionary and strategist with a deep understanding of how customers are evolving,” said Calvin McDonald, chief executive officer and president of Sephora Americas. “During her time at…

Despite the traditional retail industry being beset by online competitors and margin pressure, here’s a bit of good news from a recent Capgemini report: More than 80 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for a better experience. However, that same study found that while 75 percent of organizations believe themselves to be customer…

In this brand new version of "The Nordstrom Way," co-authors Robert Spector and breAnne O. Reeves examine in-depth the values by which Nordstrom has survived and thrived for more than 116 years. One of those values is the combination of “communication and collaboration,” which is essential for every organization to succeed. This is an excerpt from the book.

An overwhelming majority (95 percent) of U.S. consumer goods and retail CEOs are confident about the growth outlook for the global economy, the industry and their companies over the next three years, despite potential technological risks, according to a recent survey by KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm. In other parts of…

Online shopping has hit its stride. But with all the things that set it apart from traditional retail — more convenience, options and ways to buy — there's one facet that won't ever disappear: retail giants. Just as mom-and-pop shops watched department stores and big-box retailers spring up and seemingly take over, independent online sellers…

With reports swirling about the uncertain future of the retail industry, retailers are working to stand out in a highly competitive market, deciphering what customers really want from the brands they interact with, and delivering those things in a timely manner. While determining what consumers want may seem daunting to retailers, according to a recent…