Credit Card Signatures Are About to Become Extinct in the U.S.
Credit card networks are finally ready to concede what has been obvious to shoppers and merchants for years: Signatures are not a useful way to prove someone’s identity. Later this month, four of the largest networks — American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa — will stop requiring them to...
The best loyalty programs make customers feel appreciated
Many of today’s restaurant and retail customers prefer quick rewards and an engaging, personalized loyalty program that makes them feel valued, according to research from Deloitte. “Consumers are emotional, they are more sophisticated and they have choices, so that’s the era we face,” said Narvar executive Harsh Jawharkar. Read...
The rising importance of top in-store talent
Store employees have emerged as brand ambassadors for retailers in a changing retail environment and a tight labor market, Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis writes. Retailers are making changes to encourage better brand experiences, including Kohl’s, which has relaxed rules on the use of mobile devices to enable store staffers...
Report says EMV hasn’t stopped fraud
LexisNexis says retail losses from fraud are continuing to increase despite the introduction of EMV chip cards. US EMV cards still rely on an easily-forged signature rather than a more secure personal identification number NRF has said would reduce fraud both in-store and online. Read more …
Mobile dominates online sales for app-equipped retailers
Retailers with both shopping apps and mobile sites are now seeing a majority of their traffic and two-thirds of online sales originating from mobile devices, Criteo reports. On mobile, apps account for nearly twice the number of sales as the web, the report found. Read more …
Sales associates hold the key to personalization
Sales associates can be a retailer’s strongest asset in the efforts to create a personalized shopping experience and build customer loyalty, according to a report from Salesfloor. Retailers can better meet consumers’ evolving needs by providing employees with the knowledge, tools and technology they need to engage with customers...
The 4 Reasons Why 2017 Is a Tipping Point for Retail
“Five years from now, we won’t be debating whether ‘e-tailers’ are taking share from brick-and-mortar retailers, because they are all the same.” Read more …
Should I get in on the delivery game?
From the nation’s largest supermarket chains to longstanding mom-and-pop shops, brick and mortars big and small are rapidly embracing online order and delivery. Should you? Do you even have a choice if everyone else is doing it? What kind of program might benefit your customers, and your bottom line,...
Retailers bet on loyalty programs to boost sales
Retailers are increasingly depending on loyalty programs to keep customers coming back as competition grows and Amazon Prime wins more members. Hollister’s Club Cali program helped boost same-store sales 8% last quarter, and Sears is banking on its omnichannel Shop Your Way loyalty program to drive repeat business. Read...
Independent retailers remain confident after Amazon-Whole Foods Market deal
Foodservice, good customer care and even expansion are among independent natural products stores’ plans as Amazon makes its mark on Whole Foods Market. Get a coast-to-coast look at what’s happening and what leaders are thinking. Read more …