Personalization

During a keynote session yesterday at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show in New York City, Elizabeth Spaulding, CEO of Stitch Fix, discussed how the styling service for women, men and kid's is evolving from its "Fix" box business into a personalized online shopping destination. Spaulding was interviewed by Lauren Thomas, retail reporter at CNBC. The…

Let’s talk about the positive side of digital advertising, as it deserves equal airtime. The advertising industry is on the precipice of a more transparent ecosystem. Instead of creepy targeted marketing, consumers expect honest, personalized tactics, which will ultimately drive engagement and revenue. Here’s the thing I’ve noticed: many consumers are happy with the inspiration…

All signs point to e-gift cards this holiday season. They’re a no-brainer for, oh, a thousand reasons. For people who are still wary about shopping in stores, for online shopping fans, for last-minute shoppers, people who can’t make up their minds, and just about everyone else — e-gift cards are the answer. And marketers shouldn’t…

After months of saving for the future, consumers appear eager to embrace the upcoming holiday season. Bain & Company is forecasting that 2021 holiday retail sales could achieve the second-highest growth rate in two decades, rising 7 percent to $800 billion. When was the highest growth rate during November and December over that same time…

From Amazon.com to Facebook, privacy is at the forefront of major corporations’ product and service updates. Even consumers are changing their purchasing behavior to pick devices and products that ensure their privacy is protected. In June, Apple unveiled a series of privacy leadership initiatives, which included its Mail Privacy Protection update. With this new update,…

Marketing has evolved. Today, the day-to-day roles of marketers require the use of data and technology on a large scale. With that evolution comes the need for greater collaboration between marketing and tech teams. Although both teams are using technology to get their jobs done, their focuses are different and company cultures that once relied…

In episode 326 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Sachin Shroff, vice president of CRM, loyalty and marketing technology at Michaels, the largest arts and crafts retail chain in North America. Shroff discusses the technology investments the retailer made to support its personalization efforts, how Michaels is using personalization to optimize the performance…

It’s an interesting time for the relationship between brand and consumer. The travails of 2020 changed the mindset of the shopper immensely and consumer expectations about the shopping experience are permanently altered. The world was forced to adapt to a digital-first customer journey, which not only accelerated the opportunity for retailers to engage and interact…

As retailers continually adjust to the global pandemic, they’re tasked with building upon what’s already been a rapid pace of digital transformation. The sudden shift in customer behavior — from in-store to digital — had businesses of all kinds adjusting their products and services to keep things going. Now, retail’s new normal endures through a…

The global impact of COVID-19 will be studied for decades to come; an immediate impact however has been the massive growth of e-commerce due to store closures early in the pandemic. Consumers simply went to their smartphones and laptops to buy everything from pet food to electronics to everyday essentials. Even today, when most retail…