Customer Service

Successful e-commerce companies have found ways to incorporate both automated systems and human processes to help run their organizations. Through their implementation, these systems and processes produce a significant amount of data that companies can tap into, helping to improve performance. In an effort to balance this overflow of data while not losing sight of the people on the other side of those numbers (i.e., your customers), I suggest building what my company calls an e-commerce customer lifecycle platform (ECLP).

By 2017, 50 percent of all U.S. retail sales will be omnichannel. Enabling agile commerce is table stakes for your business. But who will drive these initiatives? Research shows that retailers expect the CFO to spearhead e-commerce. So, how will you demonstrate the return on investment of omnichannel fulfillment to your CFO? Sign up for this informative webinar and learn how to gain your CFO's endorsement on implementing industry-leading omnichannel initiatives that blend the best of online technology with offline fulfillment. You'll learn how to:

• leverage intelligent order routing logic;
• optimize your return policies and procedures; and
• prioritize financial sales attribution.

History and academic research tells us there are four basic types of consumers: drivers, socializers, supporters and analyzers. The Greek philosopher Hippocrates was the first to document these "four humors." Every one of us have some of each type, but one is usually dominant and ends up influencing purchasing decisions. Understanding each type will help you interpret the limited information you receive — or don't receive — from prospects, and tailor the communications with them that ultimately lead to meaningful relationships.

In this webinar, we map out the self-service revolution, what it means for retailers, and how to get your customer to use it.

Lowe's and Porch.com have expanded their strategic partnership to the more than 1,700 Lowe's home improvement stores across the U.S. Every Lowe's store in the country now features Porch as the in-store resource to help homeowners find the right home improvement professionals for nearly any project outside of Lowe's current installation services. In addition, home improvement service professionals can sign up for a free Porch profile to help increase the exposure of their business to homeowners in need of their specific services.

To help orchestrate omnichannel retail operations and enable growth, clothing retailer Lacoste will roll out Manhattan Associates' Enterprise Order Management solution. With this solution in place, Lacoste will be able to deliver a consistent brand and unified shopping experience to its customers. The technology will provide Lacoste customer service representatives with a single view of customer transactions and networkwide inventory, while also giving shoppers control of when, where and how they receive goods.

Over 1 million "selfies" are taken each day, and savvy retailers are finding ways to take advantage of a phenomenon that appears to be here to stay. The power of the selfie shouldn't be underestimated as data released this year shows that 71 percent of consumers are likely to make a purchase based upon social media referrals. From finding ways to encourage selfie taking to using selfies as a way to spark consumer conversations, several fashion retailers are looking to convert selfies and user-generated content into engagement and sales.

Customer relationship management (CRM) technology may be booming in terms of sales and its "shiny" new capabilities, but its business impact is less definitive. According to a late 2013 report by Econsultancy, only 28 percent of companies are satisfied with their conversion rates. What can we glean from this? For one thing, before organizations set their sights on second-wave CRM developments such as using data from mobile and social channels to improve their customer view, they first must master the CRM basics. If companies are still finding their balance with existing CRM functionality, they may struggle to realize the full benefits of new data streams and technology.

In their paper, "The Law, Culture and Economics of Fashion," law professors Scott Hemphill and Jeannie Suk define fashion as being simultaneously characterised by 'differentiation' and 'flocking.' On the one hand, consumers wish to belong to a group, but on the other, they desire to assert their individuality and dress differently from others. As fashion continues to be reshaped by digital media, 'differentiation' would seem to have the

Effy Jewelry is an omnichannel retailer that has a strong brick-and-mortar presence in the Caribbean and Alaska, catering to consumers on cruise ships. The problem was that customers would get off the ship, make a purchase in one of Effy's retail stores and the brand would never hear from them again. The retailer didn't have a system in place for effectively collecting customer data in-store, making future communication a challenge.