Customer Retention

In the U.S. retail market, the customer experience increasingly depends on what happens after checkout. Consumers expect brands to deliver on promises around convenience and transparency, but meeting those expectations requires strong operational foundations behind the scenes. Recent research highlights that retailers improving their total experience aren't simply adding new capabilities; they're strengthening the fundamentals…

Retailers have spent the last decade investing heavily in customer experience. They've optimized websites, refined mobile journeys, embraced personalization, and invested in CRM platforms to better understand their customers. Collectively, these efforts have transformed how people discover and buy products online. However, while businesses have become increasingly sophisticated at winning the sale, many still underestimate…

Every November retailers spend billions trying to seduce shoppers with bigger discounts and longer sales that start earlier and earlier. Then, unless you've planned how you're going to keep those shoppers engaged post-peak, the relationship is over a week later. The interesting thing, though, is that this experience isn't actually what modern shoppers want from…

Retailers have spent decades (and billions of dollars) building loyalty ecosystems designed to understand their customers, personalize experiences, and give people a reason to come back. But now, just as those programs are becoming more sophisticated, something new is inserting itself between retailers and their customers: artificial intelligence. Consumers are using AI assistants to discover…

More than 10 years after Amazon.com launched Prime Day, tentpole deal days from Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others have become major events akin to the holiday months. And while not on the level of the holiday shopping period that runs November through December — when retailers earn upwards of 30 percent of their revenue…

In its 50-year history, Costco has never seen such demand for gas. Many of its stations have been so overwhelmed that they've had to call in tanker trucks multiple times a day to avoid running dry, Costco said this week during its quarterly earnings call. As prices have surged above $4 nationwide — and above…

Anyone who operates a loyalty program knows that they’re designed to influence buying behavior ...  human buying behavior. A customer remembers their points balance, activates an offer, and checks the app before checkout. That model is showing its age. Artificial intelligence agents are actively making real purchase decisions on behalf of consumers, both within the…

Retailers have spent the last decade racing toward speed. Faster checkouts. Faster deliveries. Automated personalization. Shoppers want it, and retailers have been more than happy to oblige. For years, that speed helped build loyalty. Brands could keep up with consumer expectations while rewarding customers with convenience they could count on. But it’s no longer enough:…

Retailers have long allowed customers to trade old devices for credit toward new purchases; it’s a well-established industry practice. And yet, most retailers still don’t treat it as a core sales driver. With consumer interest in trade-ins growing, now is the time for retailers to examine how they structure and market their programs. Currently, there’s…

The most important moment in retail no longer happens in a store aisle or even on a single promotional day. It happens across screens, in notifications, in checkout flows, and in the quiet spaces between purchases. As e-commerce and digital-first journeys become the default, the traditional retail calendar has begun to lose its grip. There…