There’s been lots written about customers who deserve to be fired. “Bad” customers call customer service constantly, return products willy-nilly, and otherwise misuse the gifts that corporations bestow on them with their products and services.
John Caddell customers customer service sales retail experienceWall Street Journal writes about a sensitivity training that puts marketers in the old peoples' shoes, literally: "Before walking into a Walgreens drugstore here, Todd Vang [a Walgreens VP] donned glasses that blurred his vision, slipped un-popped popcorn into his shoes and adjusted tape that bound his thumbs to his palms."
grey Ilya Vedrashko Wall Street Journal retail experienceAccording to market research firm Hartman Group, consumer loyalty is shifting -- from products and brands, to the experiences offered by retailers -- in a radical transformation that started before the recession.
I think the change is much bigger than that.
retail experience market research Jonathan Salem Baskin consumer experiencesIf you haven’t seen this piece by Allison Arieff and you're in the mall business, you should certainly be taking a look. Many of the things we’ve been talking about for years are things that people are just now exploring. The key take away is that the business model of the big mall needs to change, both from a back-end and a front end.
article review business model David Polinchock retail experience retail formats social spacesby: David Polinchock
An interesting debate over at Retail Wire about this attempt by Toys R Us to increase the visitations by shoppers, who in this economy, may be cutting back on their toy purchases. Comments are mixed, with some people supporting the brand extensions and other people concerned that they are moving into low margin territories that are well covered by other retailers.
retail formats retail experience David Polinchockby: Idris Mootee
This is the toughest time for retailing since many decades. It is also a perfect storm for many retailers from department stores to chain stores to refocus and strengthen their core and rethinking positioning. Many department stores and fashion chains have been operating without a real strategy for a long time, many turned themselves into landlords.
retail formats retail experience retail design Idris Mootee service designby: Idris Mootee
Microsoft last week announced it’s plan to start opening retail stores everywhere in the country, people immediately think of Apple stores. But what is Microsoft going to sell? Microsoft makes very little of it's own hardware unlike Sony. But even Sony’s retail strategy is questionable. The Sony stores are so boring. Remember those IBM stores that existed 10 years ago? Even the Nintendo store in NY City is nothing more than a showroom.
Idris Mootee Microsoft retail experience
