Will Roche
Will Roche
RocheonRetail
Will Roche has over 30 years' experience working in IT with most of his experience in retail and hospitality. Will spent 23 years at IBM with 15 years in retail roles developing product and services delivering new offerings for IBM's retail business. He was responsible for the development and execution of IBM's first industry distribution channel for retail and hospitality which served the mid-market. Will joined Microsoft in 2002 as a founding member of Microsoft's industry business, with a focus on retail. He left Microsoft in 2012 for the Global Senior Vice President role at Raymark.
The Time Has Finally Arrived! Top Five Retail Technology Predictions for 2014
Item level RFID Where I see the real driver of need for RFID item level tagging is with serving the demanding omni-channel requirements. How are...
We Need More Customer Surveys!
I am joking of course, sort of. Customer surveys do not work as they are deployed today. That is a generalization that I am...
Are We Ready For Virtual Dressing Rooms?
This is yet another technology which I am seeing more and more, but I am still not clear on the appetite of the consumer...
The Operation was Successful, but the Patient Died!
This is a story of what should have been a fantastic retail customer experience but failed. Everything was perfect and more until the last...
In-Store Tracking is it the Same Thing as the Internet?
I have become very intrigued about the latest technology which tracks your smart phone in a store without you knowing it. This technology captures...
The Yin and Yang of 21st Century Retail
"In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin-yang which is often called "yin and yang" is used to describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces...
Is Traditional Advertising Soon to Be Dead for Retailers?
"A tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the...
Why do People Hired to Serve Customers Oftentimes Neglect Those Customers?
First there are many awesome customer service stories out there that prove delivering a great customer experience is not dead. I have my thoughts...
Awesome Customer Experience at Home Depot!
It is Sunday afternoon and as usual a run to a DIY was required. I decided to go to Home Depot because it was...
It is ALL About the Customer!
My favorite subject is the customer. I have spent many years in the retail IT business, but most of what I talk about is...
Is it the Carrot or the Stick for Customer Retention?
I love to hate airlines. I feel like an indentured servant always working off my rewards and benefits. Airlines are all the same to...
There is an Elephant in the room!
We hear every day about all the great innovations that are available today and the need for retailers to be "omni-channel" ready. The truth...
Have you checked the Culture of your company lately?
"Natural law, or the law of nature (Latin: lex naturalis), is a system of law that is purportedly determined by nature, and thus universal.Classically,...
Fishing for that elusive and fickle loyal customer
First there is NO ONE thing you can do to grow your customer base. It is many things unique to you as a business...
It is All about Expectations!
Generally most of us do not have high expectations when going into a retail store. Most of my experiences have been either a sales...
Are you missing the Art of Customer Engagement?
The sales associate platform is what I called it a number of years ago. When we talk about specialty and department store retail there...
I have to write about this!
It just happened! I was in Publix doing the grocery shopping as usual (I think men like to grocery shop more than women)....
Nothing new under the sun!
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NIV) What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun....
“Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it!” Source Unknown
The store is where the action is. If not why would retailers have them? It seems retailers are scrambling to put tablets in...
Act now! No time has ever been better!
Over the past 30 years I have watched with interest as massive technology advancements have changed the face of retail. I've seen first-hand from...