PayPal Here Debuts With Design To Delight
Paying attention to the details of delivering its new credit card reader, PayPal partnered with renowned designer Yves Behar to design the product and packaging. [Source: VentureBeat]
U.S. Stores Learn How to Ship to Foreign Shoppers
Macy’s is one of several retailers trying to extend its international presence to its Web operations by shipping overseas. In the last year, Williams-Sonoma, J. Crew, Aéropostale, Crate and Barrel and Lane Bryant have added international shipping to their Web sites, while Ann Taylor and Neiman Marcus are working on it. [Source: New York Times]
Old Navy Warns Customers About Dangerous Spiderman Jacket
Old Navy was recently forced to send out a disconcerting recall for a Spider-man rain jacket that exceeds permissible levels of lead in children’s apparel. [Source: Racked]
Study Shows Customers Want Social Media Support
A new report shows that a 62% of customers are looking for more support through social media. But, brand reputation and promotions still top the list of how companies are using social media. [Source: Technorati]
Wichita Considers Customer Service Requirements For Cab Drivers
Hoping to make a good impression on visitors to the city, Wichita, Kan. is considering an ordinance that would require cab drivers to take customer service classes. [Source: Wichita Eagle]
Researchers Link Company Performance To Customer Service
“The rise of 24/7 help desks, ubiquitous pop-up bubbles on shopping websites that offer assistance, and the ease with which consumers can dress down businesses in 140-character tweets, have arguably made companies more attentive — and accountable — than ever before.” [Source: Knowledge@Wharton]
Retailers Extending Customer Service To Mobile
“In an age of the check-in and snazzy, location-based technology, the latest in mobile apps for stores harkens back to the bedrock of retail: service.” [AdAge]
Columnist Says JetBlue Is Customer Service Done Right
Forbes contributor Erika Anderson writes that the difference between great customer service and terrible customer service is simple. “The difference in my experience was 100% in the attitude of the customer-facing employee. Somehow, the management of JetBlue has figured out how to build a positive, friendly, respectful way of interacting with customers into the DNA of their company.” [Source: Forbes]
Amazon Nears A Sales-Tax Deal In New Jersey
“Amazon.com is getting closer to another sales tax exemption deal, this one in New Jersey, in exchange for the retailer’s promise to build warehouses and create full-time jobs.” [Source: Internet Retailer]
Ikea Accused of Hiring Detectives To Spy on Dissatisfied Customers
“Ikea is at the center of a spying investigation in France over allegations that it paid private detectives to snoop on workers and pry into the private lives of disgruntled customers who complained about late kitchen deliveries or faulty wardrobe parts.” [The Guardian]
PayPal Debuts Mobile-Payment Hardware
PayPal has become a household name in payments and now the company has created a product that enables consumers to swipe credit cards with their mobile phones. Dubbed PayPal Here, the product is aimed at small retailers. [Source: Wired]
Amazon to Offer $10 Gift Card for $5 Next Week
On Tuesday, March 20, Amazon will let consumers buy a $10 gift card for $5. The catch: They have to go to amazonlocal.com to redeem it. The card is good for any Amazon merchandise, though. The retailer is limiting buys to one per customer. [Source: Mashable]
Most E-Retailers Say They Have Fraud Under Control
Fraud is the scourge of e-commerce, but many e-retailers claim to have it under control, according to a recent Internet Retailer survey of 254 companies. [Source: Internet Retailer]
From Reality Show To Retail
NBC debuted “Fashion Star” this week where designs are critiqued by judges Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos, then bid for by executives from Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and H&M. Within minutes of the show’s end, the selected pieces are up for retail online and in stores the next day. The stores reported strong sales. [Source: Women’s Wear Daily]
Kinect With The Best Fit
You think you’ve found the perfect pair of jeans, but you’re a little hesitant to buy them online without having the opportunity to try them on. Maybe, soon you can just fire up your Xbox Kinect and play virtual dress-up. Bloomingdale’s reports that up to 40% of clothing purchased is returned because of poor fit. The retailer contracted with British body-mapping firm Bodymetrics to provide an in-store service using Kinects that analyzes and categorizes your body to find clothes that fit. [Source: TechCrunch]
Sprint Cell Phone Customer Gets Trapped In Auto Bill-Pay Nightmare
After discovering a mistake in her bill, it took a Sprint customer more than a year to receive a full $800 refund. “She was transferred between departments, languished on hold, then sometimes found herself kicked back to the main customer service menu while she was waiting to speak with a senior employee.” [Source: Huffington Post]
EBay Virtual Garage Pimps a Million Rides
EBay’s personalized shopping service My Vehicles now has more than 1 million registered vehicles. “If you’re the proud owner of a shiny red 1963 Corvette, creating a My Vehicles profile will customize your search results for car parts to favor parts for your vette.” [Source: Mashable]
Retailers Must Make Powerful First Impressions Online
It takes less than two-tenths of a second for an online visitor to form a first opinion of a brand once they’ve perused the company’s website, according to a new study. [Source: Entrepreneur]
Hey Dude, How Can I Help You Find Some Rad Headphones?
Skullcandy, which sells high-end audio headsets, is working with a live chat provider to find customer service agents that skate, snowboard or surf to answer questions from a customer base that does the same. [Source: Internet Retailer]
Great Customer Service Is Driving 250 Customers A Month To High-End Salon
The W Salon in Burke, Va. has applied the cupcake approach to customer service. And, it’s tripled sales. Customers of the salon get more than fashionable cuts, they also get a cupcake when they walk in the door and invites to runway shows, among other perks. In two years, the salon has tripled its sales and welcomed 250 new, unique clients monthly. [Source: Business Insider]
More Than Half Of Retail Facebook Pages Have A Shopping Element
A recent study found that 51% of retailers enable consumers to browse products on Facebook and 16% enable shoppers to buy directly on the social network. [Source: Internet Retailer]
Bart Perkins: Good Customer Service Does Offer Payback
“Every customer interaction becomes an opportunity to improve customer perceptions and relationships.” [Source: Computer World]
Cable Service Charter Pays Customers For Service Snags
Charter Communications is beginning to offer subscribers credits of $20 per day for missed service calls or outages as part of a new customer guarantee program it calls “All In.” [Source: MarketWatch]
Consumers Bothered By Brand Messaging On Facebook
“Consumers believe brands need Facebook pages in order to remain relevant, but they ‘hate’ intrusions by those brands,” according to a study. [Source: All Facebook]
Retailers Pulling Back Email Campaigns
“Retailers have started to wear out their welcome in customers’ email inboxes, forcing stores to rethink their spam strategies. Last year, the nation’s top 100 retailers by e-commerce revenue sent recipients an average of 177 emails apiece, up 87% from 2007, according to research by marketing-technology company Responsys Inc.” [Source: Wall Street Journal]
How Retailers Plan to Boost Sales This Fall
Consumers are in the driver’s seat as retailers move away from wardrobe staples and shift to fashion-forward pieces while planning their upcoming fall inventories, industry analysts said. [Source: The Street]
Fashism App Helps Customers Round Out Wardrobe
Fashism, a website and mobile app that lets users solicit community feedback on style, is diving into ecommerce with the launch of an accessories shop. Now, when users are told to “add a belt” or “toss in some bangles” to spruce up their outfits, they can act immediately on that advice. [Source: Mashable]
New Tricks For Improving Your Online Shopping Experience
The playing field is leveling for your favorite small retailers to offer the same online shopping experience as major online outlets like Amazon.com and eBay. Retailers will be trying to hook you with more beautiful layouts, more relevant product information and better mobile shopping experiences. [Source: Mashable]
Consumer Habits Show Trend Toward ‘Showrooming’
“Up to 20% of consumers buying specific consumer electronic products last year first checked out the items inside physical stores before making purchases online, according to a new study from NPD Group Inc.” [Source: Internet Retailer]
Go From iPad To Suit Clad With New Shopping App
Gadgets, software and the Web continue to give consumers new ways to shop. A new iPad app released this week enables shoppers to order made-to-measure suits from Joseph Abboud stores at Nordstrom. [Source: Mashable]
