User Experience

3 Ways to Compete With Amazon’s Customer Experience
January 25, 2018 at 10:52 am

It’s not easy being a retailer these days. Amazon's customer experience has changed the game. The online retailer's broad product assortment and customer-centric strategy is forcing other retailers to up their games. Many traditional retailers are asking if they truly understand what consumers want and, more importantly, if they have what it takes to meet…

AI’s Impact on the Customer Experience and What it Means for Retail
January 12, 2018 at 10:40 am

As we begin 2018, it’s safe to say that artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to infiltrate our everyday lives and challenge business processes to become more intelligent and proactive. In fact, according to Forrester, 38 percent of enterprises are already using artificial intelligence, growing to 62 percent by 2018. Additionally, IDC believes AI will be a $47 billion…

5 Questions That Can Improve Your In-Store Experience
January 10, 2018 at 11:13 am

Ask and you shall (usually) receive. According to research from Accenture, 35 percent of millennials and 40 percent of Gen Zs say they often or very often provide retailers with direct feedback when prompted. Make the most of this opportunity, especially with the younger part of your customer base, by gathering valuable insights whenever possible. The…

How Small E-Tailers Can Thrive in the Age of Retail Consolidation
December 22, 2017 at 9:46 am

Do small and new online retailers have a chance to succeed anymore? Industry analysts say that 2017's parade of acquisitions by major retailers — Whole Foods by Amazon.com, Kate Spade by Coach, HSN by QVC, among others — are making it harder for smaller retailers to survive. How can SMB sellers compete with these players’ same-day…

A 2017 Holiday Shopping Survival Guide for Retailers
December 18, 2017 at 11:20 am

Something interesting happened as we spent countless news cycles prophesizing the demise of brick-and-mortar retail: 2017 Black Friday foot traffic at stores remained very high and barely saw any change from last year. Meanwhile, online shopping saw another 17 percent increase from last year, with mobile shopping accounting for almost 40 percent of those online…

Avoiding the Gremlins in the Customer Journey This Holiday Season
December 13, 2017 at 10:33 am

Fans of the 80’s cult-classic movie "Gremlins" will remember that it takes place around the holidays, as the cute little mogwai “Gizmo” is given as a gift. However, the exotic mogwai comes with three important rules: Don’t expose the mogwai to light (or it will die), don’t get it wet, and definitely don’t feed it…

Retailers Missing Out on Aftermarket Revenue Opportunities
December 11, 2017 at 9:21 am

Retailers have mastered the art of curating a superior customer experience up to the point of purchase, but new research indicates they're missing the mark when it comes to delivering the superior aftermarket experience today’s customer expects and, as importantly, they're missing out on new revenue opportunities. Ikea's recent acquisition of TaskRabbit, a sharing economy…

Macy's Suffers Credit Card Slowdown on Black Friday
November 27, 2017 at 12:31 pm

Macy's confirmed on Friday that it was suffering a credit card slowdown on one of the busiest and most important shopping days of the year. That trouble was resolved by Friday evening. "We have fully resolved today's system issues. We highly value our customers and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience today's system slowdown may have…

The Holiday Path to Purchase: Epsilon’s Shoppers Voice® Holiday Survey 2017
November 20, 2017 at 6:13 pm

As a retailer, you’re most likely in the throes of planning and embracing for what one can only expect to be another ultra-competitive holiday shopping season. Epsilon recently conducted its annual Holiday Shoppers Voice® survey of retail customers to find out what’s on their minds for the 2017 holiday shopping season. The survey asks customers about different aspects of their holiday shopping process and experience from planning and budgeting, marketing influences on shopping decisions, loyalty programs and promotions, social media, and their shopping location. Several questions include comparable results to previous year’s surveys to identify change in shopping behaviors.