Omnichannel

CXM (customer experience management) may soon take the crown as the most overused acronym in retail. Both new and existing solutions that have been around for years are being branded and rebranded as CXM solutions. However, the new demands that a cross-channel experience puts on an IT department go beyond what some point solutions can offer since they often only deal with part of the problem.

Whole Foods Market has launched an online magazine that explores food, art, health and sustainable living. The content includes videos, photography, recipes and articles from "mentors and inventors" in the artisanal and sustainable living movement.

Men's Wearhouse continues to invest in technology with two new mobile apps and expansion of its online presence. By leveraging technology, the brand lowered average store inventory by 7 percent in 2011, better managing the overall cost structure.

Apple has quietly added a Catalogs category to the iTunes preview section in its App Store. Because deployment seems incomplete, the purpose of the new category is a bit of a mystery. However, AppleInsider theorizes that since the company is expected to unveil an iPad that features a Retina Display, it's getting ready to offer high-resolution, interactive catalogs be delivered to the iPad via the App Store.

Sam's Club is taking its promotion of its health and wellness solutions further by launching its own branded, bimonthly magazine. Healthy Living Made Simple is the first warehouse club publication solely dedicated to health and wellness issues.

I’m writing this Editor’s Note from the eTail West conference in sunny Palm Desert, Calif., and I’m dizzy with excitement over all of the new and fun things I’m hearing about in the cross-channel retail industry

Nordstrom has implemented mobile POS devices in all full-line stores and will continue to expand the functionality of those devices. Three quarters of traditional fixed POS capabilities can now be done on the mobile devices, helping to provide a better customer experience in terms of personalization and speed. "We've got a number of different initiatives to improve the service we're giving through mobile devices both in our stores and outside the store," said Nordstrom EVP James Nordstrom, during a recent conference call. "We're improving the speed and quality at which we can get merchandise to customers. A lot of

Why exactly would a small business want to use digital receipt technology? For Loyal Army Clothing, the answer comes down to the potential to build tighter relationships with customers.

The first key mobile insight every marketer should know is that consumers use their smartphones at many different points in their purchase path. Forty-one percent of those who used their mobile phone to help with shopping said they made a purchase directly on their smartphone; 46 percent said they researched an item on their smartphone then went to a store to make their purchase; and 37 percent said they researched an item on their smartphone then made their purchase online.

Walgreens is following in the footsteps of Target and Wal-Mart in offering a digital edition of its weekly advertising circular that will offer additional items through Walgreens.com and the company's mobile applications. The Sunday circular — viewed by more than 50 million consumers, according to Walgreens — also will get a new look and feel, designed to improve the shopping experience.