Software

I'm at the Shop.org Annual Summit in Seattle and having a great time catching up with old friends and colleagues, meeting new contacts, and learning about new digital marketing strategies and technologies. Also, as usual, as I walk through the exhibit hall I'm being greeted by smiling vendors, eager to share with me information about their latest and greatest shiny new objects. For the most part, I actually enjoy talking with vendors and learning about their wares. But I have noticed many folks — retailers, probably — with their badges turned the other way or tucked into their jackets, and I know why: they don’t want to be singled out and aggressively sold to by vendors.

Listen as we map out simple customer service best practices you can implement today, and keep customers coming back time and again.

How small retailers (both online and brick-and-mortar) can compete with Amazon and its vast resources, cheap pricing and fast delivery.

A look at how retailers connect with their customers digitally to create a seamless online and offline brand experience.

Join John Lawson as he runs through 15 ways to acquire news customers in 30 minutes.

With the retail environment shifting to one where consumers expect a seamless, hassle-free shopping experience every time they interact with a brand — no matter the channel — Tennis Express realized it needed to upgrade its software systems to meet this need. The retailer was hamstrung by siloed systems for critical business processes (e.g., POS, ERP, purchasing, receiving, inventory, web, mobile), hindering its ability to grow. For example, Tennis Express was unable to get a real-time view of inventory availability across channels, leading to frustrated consumers trying to buy out-of-stock items on the retailer's website.

Imagine letting your customers see how your clothing items fit before they make a purchase, possibly boosting conversion rates while lowering returns due to poor fit. That's the idea behind PhiSix, a computer graphics company just acquired by eBay. The technology behind eBay's latest acquisition creates 3-D models of clothing from photos and "simulates the behavior of the garments." It can be used online and offline to let shoppers to see how clothes fit, look and move in different environments. The technology is also able to recommend a size for the user's body based on basic measurement inputs. 

With Forrester predicting online shopping will reach $370 billion by 2017, retailers are fighting to get consumers to visit stores — and provide a quality experience when they get there. The trick is matching the convenience, speed and depth of information in-store that the online world easily provides. Also taking priority: time-saving techniques like virtual try-on; faster, more secure checkout; and protecting customers’ information. Consumers "expect the in-store experience to match the convenience of online," said Chris Donnelly, global managing director of Accenture Retail. Evidence the growth of mobile payments, which Accenture said will quadruple to $630 billion by 2014.

This past January, as I've done for the past five years or so, I trekked into New York City's Jacob Javits Convention Center for the National Retail Federation's (NRF) Big Show. I was met, as I was in past years as well, by retailers from around the world. I spent time at this year's conference attending presentations and press conferences; meeting and interviewing retail industry execs in the press room; and walking the vast exhibit hall floors trying to find the "next big things" in retail technology. Here are a few of my takeaways

As senior managers, we're tasked with overseeing initiatives that drive innovation and growth, defining and setting the direction of the company, hiring the right people to execute the overall vision, and being champions for the company's products and services. Together, our actions and decisions are designed to influence product development, sales, operations, competitive positioning, company reputation and, if publicly traded, stock performance. If a particular business unit or function isn't performing as expected, or their actions have an adverse effect on operations, ultimately, the responsibility falls on senior management.