Today on Total Retail

Coach Sues Gap for Selling T-Shirts With the Word 'COACH'
April 10, 2024 at 12:32 pm

Luxury retailer Coach and its parent company are suing Gap Inc., alleging its Old Navy brand sold T-shirts with the word "COACH" printed on them in capital letters. In a lawsuit filed April 3 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, lawyers for Tapestry, Inc., which includes brands Coach, Kate…

Total Retail Tech Keynoter James Rhee Publishes New Book, 'red helicopter'
April 10, 2024 at 4:34 pm

James Rhee, the former CEO of Ashley Stewart who will be a keynote speaker at our our upcoming Total Retail Tech event, has published a book that hit the shelves this week. The book, "red helicopter — lead change with kindness (plus a little math)," is based on a specific event in Rhee's life: In…

Wayfair Exec on its Expansion Into Brick-and-Mortar Retail
April 10, 2024 at 12:59 pm

While at Shoptalk in Las Vegas last month, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviewed Liza Lefkowski, vice president of proprietary brands and retail at Wayfair, an e-commerce furniture and home goods company. During their conversation, Lefkowski discusses her role within the company, the cross-channel behaviors she's seeing from Wayfair's customers, improving the customer experience through cross-channel touchpoints,…

The Official 'Ins and Outs' List for Retail Marketing in 2024
April 10, 2024 at 12:01 pm

As a retail marketer, you’re an inherent trend watcher, which likely means you’ve caught the wave of the viral “ins and outs” lists that took over social media at the start of the year. And as a retail marketer you’re focused on connecting with customers and driving sales online and in-store. Evolving from a personal…

Rethinking Employee Benefits: Flexible Pay and Schedules
April 10, 2024 at 10:11 am

The volatile economy has generated a lot of uncertainty over the past year, causing employees to want stability and, therefore, stay at their current jobs. The 2.1 percent quit rate in January was the lowest level since August 2020 — despite multiple companies offering higher wages. To attract and retain the best employees, retailers need…

Home Depot Confirms Data Breach Exposed Employee Info
April 9, 2024 at 5:13 pm

Home Depot has confirmed that it suffered a data breach after one of its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) vendors mistakenly exposed a small sample of limited employee data, which could potentially be used in targeted phishing attacks, reports Bleeping Computer. Last Thursday, a threat actor known as IntelBroker leaked limited data for approximately 10,000 Home Depot employees…

How Cellular Connectivity is Pivotal to the CX and the Bottom Line for Physical Stores
April 9, 2024 at 10:21 am

With 2024 in full swing, the results are in from the 2023 retail peak season, and one thing is clear: digital is embedding itself as the channel of choice for shoppers. According to analysis by Mastercard, in-store sales during Black Friday increased just over 1 percent compared to 2022 figures, whereas digital sales shot up…

Using AI Chatbots to Close the Gap Between In-Person and Online Shopping Experiences
April 9, 2024 at 12:00 pm

Order the tombstone. Print the obituary. The death of brick-and-mortar stores is upon us. That’s what many headlines would lead us to believe, but the numbers tell a different story. According to Forrester, offline retail sales in the U.S. will reach $4.2 trillion by 2028. Comparatively speaking, in-store conversion rates hover at 30 percent while…

5 Steps Retailers Should Take Before Investing in Generative AI
April 9, 2024 at 9:17 am

As the retail industry continues to evolve, generative artificial intelligence is emerging as a transformative technology. However, before retailers decide to invest in this technology, it's crucial for them to carefully consider several factors to ensure that their investment aligns with their strategic goals and delivers the expected results. Below are five key steps that…

How AI Can Reduce Stress for Retail Contact Center Agents
April 9, 2024 at 9:01 am

The end-of-year holiday season brings an extra layer of stress to the retail industry contact center agent’s work, and even if that stress diminishes after Christmas Day, the reprieve is short. Christmas quickly becomes New Year’s, then Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and so on. In our consumer-driven culture, the “holiday sale”…