Customer Service

Mobile technology has revolutionized retail by giving consumers tools to ensure immediate satisfaction through “on-demand” goods and services. For consumers, shopping online is convenient and useful — if you know exactly what you want. However, for most purchases, consumers still overwhelmingly prefer to visit a store. Why? Because the promise of the on-demand economy, which…

When retailers talk about meeting the needs of today's consumers, speed is frequently cited as a differentiating factor. From speed to market with new inventory to quick checkout to expedited delivery, it seems all retailers want to do everything fast. That's why it's a little surprising to hear John Hazen, senior vice president, direct to…

With so many studies demonstrating that younger consumers are far more likely send a Twitter DM or Snapchat than they are to respond to an email, why do so many companies stubbornly stick to email as their primary channel for customer support? Savvy retailers are taking a cue from their customers’ habits and embracing messaging…

Total Retail Talks is Total Retail’s podcast channel, and it features interviews and insights with some of the leading minds in the retail industry. Please check out our podcast channel page for all episodes, show notes and additional information. Also, you can access Total Retail Talks episodes on iTunes and Stitcher. We hope you’ll join us! Jodie Fox, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Shoes…

It’s an Amazon, Amazon, Amazon, Amazon world, but one retailer continues to top the online giant when it comes to shopper experience. For the second year in a row, outdoor outfitter L.L.Bean tops the list of Prosper Insights & Analytics’ Customer Service Champions over second place Amazon.com. Customer Service Champions were developed from a write-in vote…

Target offered a sneak peek of its upcoming Marimekko swimwear and home décor line, which features the iconic Finnish brand’s untouched, archival prints. And like last year’s wildly successful Lilly Pulitzer launch and the website-crashing Missoni collection before it, the 200-plus item Marimekko for Target collection might also sell out in a New York minute and…

Every retailer hopes to earn not just wallet share, but also the loyalty of its customers. A delighted and loyal customer will keep coming back, spend more money while there, and go one step further by recommending their favorite retailer to friends and family. Recently, Market Force Information announced the results of its annual fashion…

If your goal is to satisfy your customers, you’re aiming too low. Instead, aim to overdeliver on your promises. In fact, a good customer service policy should be to bend-over-backwards, with features and benefits that continually surprise and delight your customers. Overdelivering is a strategy fast-fashion jewelry brand BaubleBar stresses in every aspect of its…

To find True Religion Brand Jeans’ next tech innovation, look no further than its brick-and-mortar stores. The denim brand’s initiative, called Band by True Religion, is scheduled to be rolled out in its stores in Los Angeles’ Beverly Center mall and New York City’s SoHo neighborhood in April. Some sales staff will be equipped with…

Late last month the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a firm that provides a cross-industry measure of customer satisfaction, released its 2015 Retail Report. In episode 27 of Total Retail Talks, David VanAmburg, managing director of the ACSI, discusses some of the report's key findings, including why there was an overall drop in customer satisfaction…