News

Survey: Fast response times critical to customer experience and brand loyalty
Retailers who frustrate consumers risk brand abandonment. Almost half of North American and European consumers surveyed by the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council say they will abandon a brand if they continuously encounter a poor, impersonal or frustrating customer experience across channels of engagement. The study was undertaken in partnership with SAP Hybris.
Off-price giant details new store concept
The TJX Companies will debut a new, off-price home store concept in August. HomeSense will open its initial U.S. location on August 17, in Framingham, Mass. Three additional stores are planned by the end of 2017, with locations in East Hanover, N.J., Ocean Township, N.J., and Westwood, Mass.

Study: The most sought-after roles to transform operations are…

Businesses are eager to better serve their clients, but most lack the skills, processes and technology needed to leverage data effectively. In fact, 61% of U.S. companies agree that inaccurate data is undermining their ability to provide an excellent customer experience, according to “Investing in Digital Transformation: The Year’s Most Sought-After Data Roles,” a report from Experian Data Quality.
Target welcomes new class to accelerator program

The newest batch of start-ups are making their way to Minneapolis for the second annual Target + Techstars retail accelerator program. After receiving applications from more than 3,000 technology start-ups — 70% of which had a co-founder who is either female or comes from an ethnically diverse background — Target whittled the list down to 10 finalists for this year’s tech accelerator. Companies range from online advertising to rebates to clothing alterations, and hail from Minneapolis to as far as Belgium.
Tips to jump-start strategies for the 2017 holiday season

Digitally-savvy customers will be contributing to a high volume of holiday traffic — and they have high expectations for retailers. Seventy-six percent of U.S. consumers expect their interactions with a brand to be easy, according to “The Holiday in July 2017 Holiday Retail Outlook” report from Alliance Data This will be a mantra this holiday season, regardless of the channel shoppers use to connect with their favorite retailers.
Walmart opens massive online center

Walmart is bringing 1,500 jobs to Florida as it continues to expand its e-commerce fulfillment network.
Home goods retailer inspires shoppers through AI, social media

West Elm is upping the ante on how it recommends merchandise to customers. The company, a division of Williams-Sonoma, introduced a new online tool that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to detect customers’ style patterns and connect them with products they can buy at West Elm stores and online. Called the Pinterest Style Finder, the tool is powered by Clarifai’s image and video recognition AI technology.
The top back-to-school shopping day will be...
Off-pricer remains bullish on store expansion

Ross Stores continues to build out its store footprint at an aggressive pace. The off-price retailer opened 21 Ross Dress for Less stores and seven dd's Discounts locations across 15 different states in June and July. The openings are part of the company's plans to add approximately 70 Ross and 20 dd's locations in 2017.
Update on True Value: Reports and rumors

Since reports began to swirl around a possible sale of True Value Company -- or at least the consideration of such a move – the Chicago-based co-op’s CEO has downplayed the story as “rumor.” But that hasn’t stopped rival co-ops from weighing in with their own statements.