Earlier this summer, STORES Magazine published their list of the Top 100 retailers of 2018. As has been the case in the past few years, there was little movement among the best of the best. Why is that? How are these companies able to consistently stand out every year? In looking through the list…
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In our role as retail consultants for hundreds of companies we have noticed that for the most forward thinking retailers, innovation is not any single idea or action. It’s an approach, a process that must be repeated day in and day out. Preparation is a major part of this process, and the most highly innovative…
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Omnichannel Personalization Will Create Compelling Store Experiences The retail apocalypse is overstated. All stores won’t disappear, but many of the bad ones will, and should. The in-store shopping experience at many failing retailers is the reason for their demise. But every survey shows that most people like shopping in some stores – those that give…
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Dating back to October of 2015, the US EMV migration has been set to occur in several stages across multiple industries. And while EMV compliance for gas stations was initially set for this year, that deadline has since been pushed out an additional 3 years to 2020. From the massive costs associated with both software…
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“May I scan your badge?” If this is your least favorite phrase, then perhaps you are not having the most engaging tradeshow experience. What if it were easier to maneuver the show floor, to connect with the solutions and providers that were most suited to your company and upcoming strategies? The truth is, there are…
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The news of Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods rocked both the financial and retail industry and I believe it lends to what should be a healthy discussion about this retail giant. While it seems easy to place Amazon as public enemy number one for the retailers who directly compete, it is not fair to take…
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So, you have kicked off your personalization program utilizing the basics of previous purchase data, the understanding of how your customer got to your website or maybe customer personas. But as your program becomes more sophisticated, there are some other elements to consider: GeoIP – You wouldn’t attempt to sell winter coats to Floridians during…
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Last week wrapped this year’s edition of #IRCE2017. IRCE once again put on a tremendous show with many of the top vendors, system integrators, platforms, and solutions in the world exhibiting. While you can probably find deep, in-depth (ahem, boring) analysis elsewhere, this post will concentrate what you really care about – The best SWAG,…
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In our newly released Sophelle Focus Report on Boundaryless Commerce: Pop-up Retail, we outline six critical success factors that need to be addressed when considering a pop-up retail strategy. In this post, we’ll take a deeper dive into the first one: Customers. As discussed in this first Boundaryless Commerce report, some of the primary motivating…
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With all the different stimuli, options, mediums, and content available today companies are searching for better ways to connect and engage with their audience and potential customers. By some estimates individuals are now exposed to over 5,000 advertisements in a single day. So how best to reach customers with rich, relevant experiences that cut through…
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