Customer Data

The numbers of those impacted by any of the high-profile consumer data breaches over the past few years sound almost comical: 50 million, 150 million and then 500 million. Is a billion next? It may not matter, considering that the sum total may already be a significant portion of the global population with a digital…

I attended the 2019 Home Delivery World conference in Philadelphia last week. Over the course of two days, the retail logistics conference featured speakers from brands such as QVC, Giant, and Etsy, presenting on topics ranging from grocery and e-commerce, to parcel and heavy goods, to last-mile delivery and returns. A session in the Data…

When it comes to brands connecting with consumers, the Internet of Things (IoT) is often referred to as the third great technological transformation of a generation. It follows on the heels of the emergence of websites in the late 1990s and the explosion of social media and mobile devices in the mid-to-late 2000s. Given all…

In episode 190 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Erik Lautier, chief marketing officer and chief digital officer at Francesca’s, a national fashion and accessories boutique. Listen in as they discuss how Francesca’s identifies a singe view of the customer across many channels, the brand’s partnership with customer data platform AgilOne, and the emerging…

Since the mid 1990s when Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com to sell books online, and Pierre Omidyar created eBay — enabling everyone to sell everything — new business models have threatened to destroy the traditional retail economy. To remain successful, brick-and-mortar retailers must offer personalized and deeper online and in-store customer buying experiences. How? By harnessing…

You’ve seen it before, the long form you must sign before participating in a potentially dangerous activity, the checkbox at the bottom of an end user agreement before you can use a new piece of software, the numerous documents that are part of every major financial purchase. These arduous processes are developed by companies in…

Jeff Bezos said, “If we can keep our competitors focused on us while we stay focused on the customer, ultimately we´ll turn out all right.” Many retailers today seem to do exactly this and try to compete with Amazon.com. It's not rare that I have conversations with retailers about implementing strategies to compete with, or…

According to Deloitte’s 2019 Retail Industry Outlook, 2018 saw a strong U.S. economy and a record-breaking holiday season. And while the retail industry witnessed mixed earnings, one constant remained — customers’ expectations are on a steep incline. Becoming a data-capable organization requires significant changes to be made at the leadership and technological level in order…

In episode 188 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Karl Varsanyi, group vice president of digital product management and user experience at Albertsons Companies. Listen in as Varsanyi discusses the launch of Albertsons online marketplace with partner Mirakl, and how the grocer is using customer data obtained from its online marketplace to influence…

While outsiders have long tried to put a death sentence on retailers in the brick-and-mortar space, the industry keeps chugging along. Insiders understand there’s still plenty of potential for growth — even as e-commerce continues to scale. But for there to be sustained success, big data must be properly leveraged. Unlocking the Power of Data…