Bath & Body Works Wins Best Packaging Experience Award

| Mike O'Brien

For the second year in a row, Bath & Body Works won the award for best packaging in Multichannel Merchant’s Excellence in Customer Experience Awards. See how the company excels in this category, and learn some tips you can apply to your business.

How to Deliver Experiences First and Transactions Second

| Anthony Nicalo

Blaming a lack of consumer spending on a recession is easy, but the data shows something more profound. People are still spending money, but instead of shelling out for new possessions, they’re now splurging on experiences. To that end, here are three steps to improve sales moving forward.

Steve Madden To Discuss the Unified Customer Experience at IRCE

| Mike O'Brien

Creating a unified customer experience across channels through a shared repository of store and ecommerce data, as well as striking a balance on its ecommerce site between sales and branding, is a lot of the focus these days at Steve Madden. See what Mark Friedman, president of ecommerce at the apparel retailer, will cover in his June 9 keynote at IRCE.

Best Buy Keeps an Eye on Store Count as Ecommerce Growth Booms

| Mike O'Brien

Best Buy reported flat comps but 24% growth in ecommerce during the first quarter, as domestic revenue was down due to store closures and pricing pressure. Midway through its $400 million cost reduction effort, the company is keeping an eye on store count while playing up the importance of physical locations in its overall omnichannel customer experience.

Best Practices of a Winning Customer Experience

| Donna Devaul

In an era when the customer is king, retailers need to elevate their game to gain loyalty, an edge over the competition in a fierce environment, and drive sales. Here are some best practices culled from winners and finalists of the 2016 Excellence in Customer Experience awards at the Operations Summit.

Unified Commerce and the Customer Experience

| Tim Parry

The role of retail shopping is shifting, and that is why it is vital for retailers to put themselves in the position of meeting the customers’ demands. This resulting report by the e-tailing group and Multichannel Merchant takes take an in-depth look at unified commerce and how you can make it work for your brand.

Winning Customer Care

The Transition from Customer Service to Strategic Sales

| Randy Nasson

When it comes to connecting with customers online, a number of multichannel and ecommerce retailers are still stuck in the “customer support” mindset; one that views contact with a customer as a necessary evil rather than an opportunity. Transforming an empty online store into a center for anticipating and addressing customer needs proactively and intelligently requires careful thought, planning and, in many cases, investment.

Wayfair, Wayfair.com, ecommerce, Joss & Main, Birch Lane, AllModern, DwellStudio

Wayfair Partners with Porch.com

| MCM Staff

Wayfair Inc. an online destination for home furnishings and décor, announced a partnership with Porch.com, a home services platform for homeowners and home professionals. See what the is partnership will mean for both Wayfair and Porch.com.