In RSR’s most recent benchmark on retailers’ omni-channel strategies, my colleagues Brian and Paula found the percent of retailers who report that their cross-channel shoppers are their most profitable shoppers is on the decline. Here’s the chart for easy reference: Source: Omni-Channel 2015: Taking Time, Money, Commitment And Technology, September 2015 I’ve seen this […]
Drunk On Starbucks?
Last Friday I had the occasion to stop by Starbucks during their Starbucks Evenings time, which the company has started rolling out to 70+ locations across Orlando, Denver, Miami, northern California, and New York City. There are very few moves that retailers can legitimately make that take them into adjacent spaces with their existing brands, but I have to say, this seems to be one of them. Here’s what I saw.
Subscription Boxes Go Mainstream?
I like subscription boxes. In the interests of full disclosure, I subscribe to Lootcrate and to Stitch Fix. I was an original subscriber to Goodies, a food-based subscription started and subsequently shut down by Walmart. I’ve contemplated Birchbox, and also finding another food box to replace Goodies, but haven’t had enough time to put into research to decide if Birchbox will really send me things I’d use.
History of Omni-Channel Part 7: When Demand Breaks
This is part 7 of an on-going series on the history of omni-channel. Part 1 addressed the point when customer centricity and “cross-channel” (the early days of omni-channel) first merged and became the foundation of what most people mean when they say omni-channel today. Part 2 talked about the tipping point of executive awareness, when […]
Jet.com’s Imminent Take-Off
By the time you read this, jet.com will have been open for business to the public for several hours now, and reviews will undoubtedly be pouring in. Hopefully consumers will view the site more favorably than Amazon’s #PrimeDayFail – though this does perhaps explain the timing, if not the execution of Amazon’s promotional day.
Who Owns The Customer Profile In Retail?
In my travels during this year’s spring conference season, it occurred to me that there is an even more fundamental question on the table: who owns the customer profile? Because it seems to me that the system side of this question could be just as important to answer as the organizational side.
Salesforce Connections Event Report
Last week I attended Salesforce’s Connections “World Tour” in New York. As I have attended nearly a dozen such user conferences over the last three months, I feel well-qualified to say that the company’s customers are some of the fiercest networkers I have ever met.
History of Omni-Channel Part 6: Bring On The Supply Chain
This is part 6 of an on-going series on the history of omni-channel. Part 1 addressed the point when customer centricity and “cross-channel” (the early days of omni-channel) first merged and became the foundation of what most people mean when they say omni-channel today.
The eCommerce Search Conundrum: Site Search’s Role in the Marketing Platform
Last week at the Internet Retailer Conference, I noticed an awful lot of search vendors on the expo floor. Not just the big players who have been around for a while, but a lot of little startups too. Why this influx of site search capabilities into the market? And how sustainable is it to have this many players long term?
Manhattan Momentum 2015: Walking Miles In Customers’ Shoes
Manhattan Associates’ Momentum 2015 almost closes out the spring user conference season. Of all the conferences I’ve attended so far, I have to say Manhattan had the happiest customers.
Part of the reason for this may well be that Manhattan’s team seems intensely focused on seeing the world through their customers’ eyes. The breakout sessions that I attended, especially the ones focused on product enhancement plans, reflected the kind of intimate, detailed process knowledge that comes from literally walking miles in customers’ shoes – learning these processes by living them.
