BrainTrust Query: I'm Being Followed Online. Is That A Good Thing?
Re-Targeting certainly has its place, and well executed behavior or contextual re-targeting campaigns can have a much higher click through and better conversion than traditional display ads, which...
View ArticleDoes Google Need Stores?
As Google continues to introduce more hardware, particularly with novel features (Nexus Tablets, Glass, Motorola/Nexus Phones, etc.), they'll need ways to introduce those products to mainstream...
View ArticleCouches and Tablets Make Perfect Shopping Tools
Customers don't choose tablets OR smartphones. They choose tablets AND smartphones. It's not about creating an optimum experience for one or the other, it's about understanding what customers want to...
View ArticleBrainTrust Query: What Will It Be Like to Shop with Google Glass?
I suspect the actual "Google Glass" will be a transitional product, but consumers having perfect information transparency (from a variety of first and third party sources) and seemless integration of...
View ArticleWill Walmart Win the E-Commerce Battle?
It depends on how you define success.If the only goal of walmart.com is to capture e-commerce orders, it's unlikely that Walmart.com will surpass Amazon. Largely thanks to it's marketplace of...
View ArticleBrainTrust Query: How Can Retailers Raise Associates' Conversion Rates?
The smart-alec answer is to be more selective about what customers they talk to! If an associate only approaches shoppers with potential purchases in their arms, or pushing a cart, their conversion...
View ArticleRetail TouchPoints: What Does Customer-Centricity Mean?
To me, customer centricity is about having empathy for the customer and providing what she wants (which may vary widely from shopping mission to shopping mission).I had a front row seat for Best Buy's...
View ArticleJohnson Era is Over: What Will It Take to Fix Penney?
So many have written about the "Brilliance of Steve Jobs" and his famous attitude that "it's not the customers job to tell us what they want," i.e. specifically citing his reliance on intuition over...
View ArticleAce Hardware's Mobile Ads Change With the Weather
Weather is just one of many inputs retailers should be using to personalize their digital marketing efforts. Obviously, weather is particularly relavent in Ace's category, so it's a great place to start.
View ArticleHelp Wanted: Robots to Fill Service Jobs
I know about automation of customer facing service tasks, but we're clearly going to see Kiva style inventory automation reach the store shelf. To maximize inventory, most retailers will want to...
View ArticleTarget Is Wired for Success with Gadget Tie-In
I like it. It's a win for both firms before it even sells any merchandise.Target likes to surprise and delight its guests with items you wouldn't necessarily expect them to carry. Finding Wired-curated...
View ArticleShould Purchasing Intent Be Used to Alter Prices?
Retailers are already customizing pricing based on individual shopping behaviors (from Safeway's JustForU program to Nordstrom's Fashion Rewards). Clearly consumers will accept the practice when it's...
View ArticleAdobe Ditches the Box, Puts Apps in the Cloud
I admire Adobe's willingness to be a pioneer in these new pricing models.I'm sure that they will continue to experience friction as they migrate their user base, but in the long run, I do see users...
View ArticleStorefrontBacktalk: Should Retailers Favor Customers With High Social Influence?
First, the article misstates how Klout score is calculated. While Klout doesn't share it's actual algorithm, it's more complex than simply number of followers and amplification. It factors in the...
View ArticleAre Retail Associates Geared Up for Omnichannel?
Many of the title changes we are seeing are still largely superficial, i.e., replacing a "VP of Online" with a "VP of Omni-Channel" without significantly changing the responsibilities and most...
View ArticleWill Target's New Tech Center Spur Innovation?
Innovation labs can be powerful tool for e-commerce; obviously we've seen them at Staples, Nordstrom and Walmart, etc.The challenge is that they have to be looked at as longer-term investments that...
View ArticleBrainTrust Query: What Can Customer Segmentation Not Do?
To me, customer segmentation has lost half its value. We used to use segmentation for research and insight, and also to create unique experiences/solutions for each segment.Segmentation is still a very...
View ArticleWill Kroger's App Replace Its Loyalty Card?
The plastic card is largely already dead, killed by alternative IDs like a phone number. A Kroger mobile app for affinity won't win purely by allowing people to get the plastic card out of their wallet...
View ArticleWill Amazon Succeed With Men's Grooming Shop?
The site will be successful. The richer content pages raise Amazon's SEO profile in the category, and help shoppers discover another category they can get from Amazon (with their Prime membership) and...
View ArticleWhy Are Mobile Shoppers Avoiding Store Associates?
There is increasing evidence that shoppers trust recommendations from their social circle more than retailers or manufacturers. Mobile is the best method to find social proof in a retail store at the...
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