Do you know who is researching your brand? In a recent study by Mindshare Online Research, found that 61 percent of moms research holiday gifts compared to only 48 percent of non-moms, as reported in Brandweek.com. Studies such as Mindshares, can help decide brand positioning.

Studies and research such as Mindshares can provide a brand with some insight as who is comparing your brand with the competitor. Especially with the announcement of the country being formally in “recession”, consumers are going to be more researching more online prior to purchasing. It’s important for brands to be paying attention to what their consumers are saying especially online.

The same study revealed that 54% of consumers did the bulk of research online, making the online community more valuable than ever. Web sites such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com allow consumers to post reviews and rank brand for other’s to see. Brand strategist and companies should be monitoring what consumers are saying not only with on line retailers, but with social networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and the ever popular mommy blogs.

What platforms is your company using to touch base with consumers?

Are you wondering how your business can make a customer loyal, for life? Just ask Jennifer, author of the blog “My Wife Quit Her Job.com“. Jennifer directly points out how 3 business have successfully made her a customer for life. Read the rest of this entry »

The retail industry is the first consumer sector to feel the effects of a recession. Retailers can take advantage to build customer loyalty. How does a retailer build it’s loyalty base? Through one customer experience at a time. Read the rest of this entry »

Two prominent retailers are returning to grassroots marketing of hosting parties. Talbots and White House/ Black Market allow loyal customers to host a special shopping evening for invitees. Read the rest of this entry »

Staying competitive in the retail industry means understanding buyer motivation.  Frito-Lay knows what drives a consumer to buy, is the direction the brand needs to take.  Listening to consumers is so important to Frito_lay, they built a 15,00 square-foot fake store to study consumer trends, as highlighted in List Everitt’s BNET.com post.  The good news is, you don’t need to build a supermarket to understand your consumer. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a new small format store in Chicago called Urban Fresh, by Jewel targeting cost conscious and time sensitive shoppers. These shoppers can go in and get out of the store quickly with pre-made meals that don’t take too much time to prepare. Although pre-made foods have higher price tags, they are still less expensive than dining out. “The broader trend is probably convenience and prepared foods, kind of restaurant or near-restaurant quality, at a discount,” Hertel said. The bottom line is high-end consumers still want high quality food even when the money is tight. Though they can’t eat at restaurants as much as they would like to, they will still be able to have restaurant quality food at an affordable price with store concepts such as Urban Fresh by Jewel. What do you think?

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Microsoft plans deploy a team of 155 customer-service “Microsoft gurus” in retailers such as Best Buy and Circuit City by the end of the year. The gurus will be answering questions about personal computers and Microsoft products as well as demonstrating how the company’s products work together. Microsoft hopes that this will get customers thinking about their products.

This is a great move by Microsoft. It’s time that they finally responded with something to compete with Apple’s “Genius Bar” which provides great customer service on Macs and Ipods while giving the customer a “hip” experience. Hopefully Microsoft can provide a great experience as well by translating the technology into a language consumers can relate to and feel comfortable with.

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A new London restaurant called Inamo allows diners to use their table to order. With a few clicks, diners can order from an illustrated menu, pay their bill, play interactive games, and also summon a taxi. Automation is one of the key trends in the restaurant industry which reduces labor costs and increases interactivity for diners.
The new system allows for convenience and efficiency but what happens to the level of human engagement? Interacting with the waiter is part of the customer experience at a restaurant. What do you think?

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A recent discussion on RetailWire discusses how crucial it is for retailers to integrate selling channels. If a customer wants to make a purchase online and pick up the item at the nearest store, then they should be able to do so. Wal-Mart does a great job with this. I believe most retailers know that they should be integrating their selling channels to keep up with the evolving shopper experience, but the problem lies in the technology investment and logistics of it all. Are most retailers ready to make the necessary monetary and time investments? Probably not. However, those retailers that already have integrated selling channels are ten steps ahead of competition.

What do you think? 

To prevent customers from migrating to supercenters, Stop & Shop and Giant, have introduced new logos, additional products, and a handful of high tech innovations. Stop & Shop and Giant have also expanded their private label offerings in order to compete against supercenter prices. Supercenters tend to focus on low price while forgetting about customer experience and service. If grocery store chains can offer low prices with their private label brands and offer an enhanced customer experience, they should have no problem maintaining their customers.

What do you think?

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