An Innovation Checklist for Direct to Customer Operations

| Jasmine Brown

The recent Executive Operations Forum at Operations Summit 2017 generated many ideas and cost-savings tips. What improvements, best practices and innovations have you implemented in your contact center, fulfillment and inventory management? Here are 27 innovations that six direct to customer companies attending the forum have implemented.

Operations Summit 2017 Once Again a Jam-Packed Affair

| Mike O'Brien

Next week the team at Multichannel Merchant is eager to join 800+ professionals from across the spectrum of direct-to-customer and ecommerce operations and fulfillment at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA for our fifth annual event. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Dealing with Digital Disruption in Ecommerce Operations

| Mike O'Brien

Jim Tompkins, founder and CEO of Tompkins International, talks about the need to go beyond continuous improvement to total reinvention in order to address continual digital disruption. This will be the theme of Jim’s breakfast keynote address at Operations Summit 2017 on Tuesday, March 28 in Pittsburgh. Come gain insights from his experience working with major corporations on their supply chain strategy and execution.

Lands’ End on Being a Customer Experience Leader

| Mike O'Brien

What does it take to be a customer experience leader? Kelly Ritchi, SVP of Employee and Customer Services for Lands’ End, talks about the iconic brand’s philosophy and approach to customer service, what sets it apart and the business benefits it sees as a result. The company is a finalist in the leadership category for the Excellence in Customer Experience awards from Multichannel Merchant; winners will be announced during a luncheon on March 29 at Operations Summit 2017 in Pittsburgh.

Gap Birchbox

Birchbox on Achieving Excellence in Packaging

| Mike O'Brien

Pooja Agarwal, Vice President of Operations for Birchbox, talks to Multichannel Merchant Senior Content Manager Mike O’Brien about the company’s approach to packaging and how it achieves consistent excellence in this key area of the customer experience. The company is again a finalist in the category for the Excellence in Customer Experience Awards, with winners announced March 29 at Operations Summit 2017 in Pittsburgh.

L.L. Bean, ecommerce, catalog, ecommerce catalog, Leon A. Gorman, ecommerce pioneer

L.L Bean on Creating Excellence in Brand Communication

| Mike O'Brien

What does it take to create excellence in brand communication? L.L. Bean, an iconic brand, has been doing it right for decades. Brad Mason, the company’s SVP of brand communication, discusses the company’s approach with Multichannel Merchant. The company is a finalist in the category for this year’s Excellence in Customer Experience awards, with the winners announced March 29 at Operations Summit 2017 in Pittsburgh.

Gaining Perspective on Your Operational Performance

| Mike O'Brien

Meeting the demands of today’s always-on shopper has never been more challenging. So how can you gain a window into how you’re doing compared to others in the industry as you set your investment priorities? Multichannel Merchant’s exclusive benchmarking project with F. Curtis Barry & Co. will help you gauge your operational performance across key functional areas.

Helping Workers Understand Your Business Benefits All Parties

| Curt Barry

Do your employees know what makes your company tick, and better yet what helps move the needle? Merchants need to do a better job of educating them on sales drivers and profitability, and the business benefits of investments and process improvements. The more they know, the more invested they’ll be in your success.