Vendor Insights

81. “Loyalty? If you want loyalty buy a dog!” Part ll 7/10/2013

     “Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause. Philosophers disagree as to what things one can be loyal to. Some, argue that one can be loyal to a broad range of things, while others argue that it is only possible for loyalty to be to another person and that it is strictly interpersonal.” – Wikipedia. I recently wrote a blog where I stated I was loyal to Publix.

82. “Loyalty? If You Want Loyalty, Buy A Dog!” 7/8/2013

    I remember speaking to a department store retailer many years ago about what exactly customer loyalty was, and he said to me, “Loyalty? If you want loyalty, buy a dog!” I have never forgotten that phrase, and it still makes me laugh. What does having a loyal customer mean? In sports, it means that even if your team is losing this year, you’re still buying season tickets. Unfortunately, customers do not feel the same way about retailers as they do about their sports teams. How many customers do you know that will continue to shop at a retailer that is neglecting them and not taking the time to discover and satisfy their needs?

83. Nothing New Under The Sun! 6/28/2013

    The switch from service to product was subtle and took a number of years to fully catch on. It was a race for who could get big enough to control product price. In retail the focus until late has always been about operational optimization in the form of product costs vs price sold. Nothing about customers or service was focused on because the value proposition was the lowest price. Hence customers like Wal-Mart grew to be gigantic and the good old great service companies I remember like Sears became a shadow of what they once were or gone.

84. The Best Path To Mobile POS 6/5/2013

    There’s no question that today’s retailers are embracing mobility to enhance existing workflows and to add new workflows.  The question is:  what is the best way to go mobile?  Add on to existing systems or replace them entirely?

85. Mobile On The Move 5/14/2013

    A recent survey of close to 100 retailers revealed that merchants are becoming more comfortable with mobile technology, in part with help from solution providers. Now perceived as less of a disruption, mobile is moving steadily towards saturation in retail.

86. Cash In On Consumer Tax Refunds 3/5/2013

    Whether it is a TV advertisement, online banner, magazine ad, or billboard on the daily commute, there’s no avoiding the message that tax season is in full swing. While few enjoy the process of completing taxes, a many do revel in the result—a tax refund check.

87. The Connected Consumer's Path To Purchase 2/26/2013

    With so many consumers now shopping online across all of their devices, merchants who want to stay ahead of the commerce curve (and their competition!) need to consider all of the ways a shopper may interact with their brand over the course of a single sale. Proper planning is a must. In our first in a series of eCommerce infographics, we map out what an average sale in today's multi-device world might look like.

88. Remembering Barry Wise 1/2/2013

    When I first met Barry Wise, the longtime senior marketing consultant for Epson, I was downright intimidated. Folks had told me he was one of the sharpest minds in the retail IT industry; his name was no misnomer.

89. Get Your Ecommerce Site Ready For The Holidays With Online Monitoring 10/24/2012

    As with brick & mortar stores, the holiday season is a critical time for many ecommerce sites. Like their off-line brethren, these sites also see significant increases in both traffic and revenue. In fact for many companies, holiday ecommerce revenues represents up to 40% of annual sales.

90. Self-Checkout Registers – Needed Or Nuisance? 9/25/2012

    I was recently listening to a colleague in retail management discuss self-checkouts and the value they add. I have always liked the idea of self-checkout registers.  I like the concept and the ability to checkout quickly.