User Experience

Something interesting happened as we spent countless news cycles prophesizing the demise of brick-and-mortar retail: 2017 Black Friday foot traffic at stores remained very high and barely saw any change from last year. Meanwhile, online shopping saw another 17 percent increase from last year, with mobile shopping accounting for almost 40 percent of those online…

Fans of the 80’s cult-classic movie "Gremlins" will remember that it takes place around the holidays, as the cute little mogwai “Gizmo” is given as a gift. However, the exotic mogwai comes with three important rules: Don’t expose the mogwai to light (or it will die), don’t get it wet, and definitely don’t feed it…

Retailers have mastered the art of curating a superior customer experience up to the point of purchase, but new research indicates they're missing the mark when it comes to delivering the superior aftermarket experience today’s customer expects and, as importantly, they're missing out on new revenue opportunities. Ikea's recent acquisition of TaskRabbit, a sharing economy…

Macy's confirmed on Friday that it was suffering a credit card slowdown on one of the busiest and most important shopping days of the year. That trouble was resolved by Friday evening. "We have fully resolved today's system issues. We highly value our customers and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience today's system slowdown may have…

As a retailer, you’re most likely in the throes of planning and embracing for what one can only expect to be another ultra-competitive holiday shopping season. Epsilon recently conducted its annual Holiday Shoppers Voice® survey of retail customers to find out what’s on their minds for the 2017 holiday shopping season. The survey asks customers about different aspects of their holiday shopping process and experience from planning and budgeting, marketing influences on shopping decisions, loyalty programs and promotions, social media, and their shopping location. Several questions include comparable results to previous year’s surveys to identify change in shopping behaviors.

It’s November and most retailers have been planning for the holiday season for several months. As brick-and-mortar establishments continue to evolve to compete with online competitors, it’s critical that retailers focus on those consumers who still plan to do their holiday shopping in-store, and how they can provide them with an enjoyable experience that meets…

The world of retail was rocked last month when Toys"R"Us filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Many took it as a bad omen or the proverbial “last gasp” of a dying industry. Headlines of a “Retail Crisis” permeated the news cycle and analysts poured over the reasons why — with most of the blame directed…

With the threat of online shopping, brick-and-mortar retailers have been forced to embrace the importance of the experiential aspect of their stores to drive repeat foot traffic. It takes something really compelling for the average consumer to go to a physical store instead of ordering whatever they need from the comfort of their own home.…

There’s currently a sea change happening in retail. Toys“R”Us recently announced bankruptcy, and as part of its restructuring plan, the retailer will be closing stores after the 2017 holiday season. J.C. Penney closed 138 stores, with most closing at the end of July and a few remaining open until the end of September 2017. Macy’s…

There's no denying the massive shifts in the retail industry, but are retailers actually "retail revolution ready" to successfully engage with their customers? And no, “hello, welcome to the store” doesn't count! Retail, like most industries, is undergoing a transformation. The shopping experience is no longer a linear one, where a customer enters a store,…