Kevin Leifer
How Does Apple Get Away With It?
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Last week, Apple revealed what’s new and different about the iPhone 7. It’s water resistant, which is a plus. But it doesn’t have a headphone jack. Come again? That’s right. Apple just pulled another Crazy Ivan—a bold, surprising move the average retailer…
Macy’s Store Closings: 4 Valuable Lessons For Retailers
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Much has been written about Macy’s brand struggles and its 100 store closures ahead of the 2016 holiday season. Among the observations being made: Macy’s may be a “harbinger of weakness” for the retail industry. Macy’s isn’t doing enough to appeal to…
Data Security For Retailers: How To Protect Your Customers And Your Brand
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto In the retail business, nothing is more important than keeping customers happy. Nothing, that is, except keeping them safe. It’s every retailer’s worst nightmare: a data breach that leaves the brand’s reputation in tatters and destroys consumer trust. Just ask Target, whose…
Retailers, Here’s What Store Managers Need From You
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto They’re the essence of the brand. The director of backstage operations. The leader who brings out the best in every associate. They’re retail store managers: the hardworking engines that (in an ideal world) keep stores humming and drive the customer experience, day…
Customer Experience Strategy: What To Include, And What To Avoid
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto If you’re serious about competing to win in retail, then you’re undoubtedly: Focused on your customers (vs. quarterly numbers). Invested in creating a unique brand experience. Committed to ensuring your customer experience strategy serves as an effective guide for all your teams…
35 Sample Mystery Shopping Survey Questions For Retail Brands
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Not all mystery shopping programs are created equal. Some yield customer experience insights that are reliable, useful, and ultimately very profitable. Other programs fail to deliver on all three counts. If you want a good return on your mystery shopping investment, you…
5 Suggestive Selling Techniques For Better Customer Experiences
Photo Credit iStockPhoto If you're like most people, there are certain stores that you dread going into, and you have to mentally prepare yourself for before entering. You know the ones I’m talking about - where the sales associate sprays fragrance in your face as…
The Best Brand Promise Examples We’ve Seen
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto A brand promise is: "This is what we will deliver to you." Pretty simple, right? Maybe. We’ve collected some of the greatest brand promise examples we’ve ever seen. Some of these brands you’d expect to make the list, and others may come…
We Hold These (Retail) Truths To Be Self-Evident
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Over the years, we’ve worked with all types of retail organizations. And we’ve gotten to know them well. We’ve met the individuals who embody the brand promise. We’ve encountered the typical roadblocks to improvement (i.e., a culture or infrastructure that’s resistant to…
Does Your In-Store Path To Purchase Need A Makeover?
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto As holiday shoppers make their way along the brick-and-mortar path to purchase, there’s bound to be friction. Big crowds, long lines, overburdened associates—it’s a familiar scene. Everyone expects it. There’s no getting around it. Or is there? Many retailers assume there isn’t.…
Task Vs. Customer Engagement – Which Is The Associate’s Priority?
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Associates have a lot on their plate. Between managing stocks, organizing merchandise and customer engagement, associate need to make many decisions during their shifts, these decisions as we all know have an impact on bottom line. In a study conducted by Korn/Ferry…
Why Retailers Should Rethink “Self-Service”
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto What four words best capture the state of retail today? Consumers run the show. Consumers are more informed, more demanding, and freer than ever before. The balance of power has shifted. Brands are no longer in charge of the buying process. Many…
How Retail Giants Bring Their Brand Promises To Life
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Ask not what your customers can do for you. Ask what you can do for your customers. Urban Outfitters answered that question for itself in early November, when it announced it will buy The Vetri Family, a group of nationally renowned Italian…
How Does Mobile Fit In Your Customer Experience?
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto If you haven’t connected with your customers via mobile yet, you’ve missed out on a huge opportunity. If you’re not going to connect with your customers via mobile in 2016, they’ll move to a competitor who offers an omnichannel experience and who…
3 Things Your Brand Promise Must Have
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Few things irk consumers more than an empty brand promise. You know the feeling. A brand makes a sweeping claim: “We deliver the best.” However, your own experience with the brand is lousy. When a company promises the moon and falls about…
How To Survive (And Thrive) In The Age Of Amazon
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Three years after Amazon went online, and one year after it became a publicly traded company, Deep Impact (1998) premiered in theaters. The film depicted an E.L.E., or extinction-level event, befalling mankind. A huge meteor fell to earth and wreaked havoc. Many...
The Deadliest Threat To Your Retail Brand (And What To Do About It)
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto In a recent post, we discussed Amazon’s new brick-and-mortar venture. What we didn’t mention was that in early 2015, Amazon approached RadioShack about taking over some of its stores. Now there’s a stark contrast. One of these brands continues to disrupt like…
Get Serious About Your Customer Experience In 3 Steps
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Many retailers are stuck in a defensive crouch. They fixate on their comp sales ID, comparing today’s number with where it was a year ago. They’re focused on protecting what they have, and maybe getting a nice win this year. It’s a…
Take The Quiz: How Customer Centric Is Your Brand?
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Many retailers claim to be customer centric. They’ll tout it in a quarterly statement or in the press. But words are meaningless if the brand experience doesn’t match. Retailers that are customer centric demonstrate it on the sales floor every day. They…
Attack Of The Disruptor Brands: 5 Key Lessons For Retailers
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto They’re fierce. They’re hungry. And they’re coming for you next. Disruptor brands, that is. Scrappy startups turned consumer crazes. No one is safe; even the largest, most well-established retailers are running for their lives. From Dollar Shave Club to Warby Parker to…