Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

With Salesforce’s 2023 holiday predictions forecasting that BOPIS (buying items online for in-store or curbside pickup) will influence $28 billion in incremental sales during the holiday season, retailers seeking to capitalize on this revenue opportunity need to ensure their store operations and inventory management practices are up to par.

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Store Operations Shipping Fulfillment Store Layout 278

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 29, 2024

As stores continue their evolution to being the physical manifestation of the digital brand, having high levels of inventory accuracy is quickly becoming integral to delivering excellent customer experience. In this case, RFID in-store is the proverbial magic bullet.

Customer Experience 297

Customer Experience Shipping Inventory Management Management 297

Retail TouchPoints

JULY 15, 2022

Over a four-week period, Build-A-Bear turned its store locations into micro-fulfillment centers so it could maintain store operations, keep associates working and create a bright spot for consumers navigating uncertainty and stress. Creating Joy Amid Uncertainty.

Fulfillment 306

Fulfillment Shipping Inventory Management Location 306

Retail TouchPoints

APRIL 17, 2025

Reducing Multiple Deliveries from Multiple Stores The new mapping technology also means that customers can have orders fulfilled from multiple Walmart stores located in their service area.

Fulfillment 147

Fulfillment Shipping Location Planning 147

Retail TouchPoints

JULY 9, 2024

JCPenney CIO Sharmeelee Bala revealed the critical role that the retailer’s valuable customer data will continue to play in its turnaround, which is only appropriate since “the lens we have maniacally focused on is the customer and the customer experience,” she said in an interview with Retail TouchPoints.

Point of Sale 279

Point of Sale Payment Services Customer Experience Department Stores 279

Retail TouchPoints

OCTOBER 3, 2023

It was at that point that putting the technology and operations in place to fulfill from an increasingly complex supply chain network embarked upon its next frontier. It was no longer enough to route orders to a handful of DCs and drop ship vendors. Checking inventory in a local store but not placing an order?

Fulfillment 286

Fulfillment Drop-Shipping Shipping Markdowns 286

Retail Focus

APRIL 17, 2025

That delay can snowball, pushing other shipments behind schedule, increasing labour costs, or even forcing the retailer to cover emergency shipping fees. And depending on what was being shipped, there can be major financial losses. Stores operate leaner. Goods may be delayed, damaged, or destroyed.

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Shipping Planning Supermarket Store Operations 130

Retail TouchPoints

JUNE 15, 2022

Customers expect their orders to be complete, accurate, not damaged, consolidated, with free shipping on the same day, the next day or on time when you said they’d get it. And then when they finally get it, they want to ship it back to you…for free! They want to know where it is in the fulfillment process.

Shipping 264

Shipping Fulfillment Customer Experience Management 264

Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 13, 2023

As omnichannel capabilities become table stakes, brands and retailers will think more holistically and intentionally about how technology can support operational efficiency as well as immersive product interaction and brand engagement. Baird: A lot of store renovation efforts are being driven by the expanded role of the store.

Loss Prevention 323

Loss Prevention Visual Merchandising Sporting Goods Store Operations 323

Retail TouchPoints

JULY 29, 2020

Ready to grow even further, the company launched a digital transformation to swap out its legacy systems, advance customer knowledge through data and provide a truly omnichannel customer experience. If a customer walks into a store and says, ‘My hands are full, ship it to me,’ that’s one experience we have to offer.

Planning 317

Planning Wholesale Customer Experience Store Operations 317

Retail TouchPoints

OCTOBER 12, 2021

Our team members are a key part of the experience, so we hire enthusiasts and seek to be seen as a friendly, clever ally. While the JOANN customer experience is extremely human-centric, the retailer doesn’t shy away from using technology. Customers have to wait in line, so it can be a difficult experience.

Customer Experience 264

Customer Experience Shipping Location Promotions 264

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

The problems with getting products to people quickly and cheaply are well-known: consumers want fast fulfillment, which is costly to provide, but they don’t want to pay high (or really any) shipping fees. This is both more complex and more top-of-mind due to ESG [environmental, social and governance]; no one likes to ship air.”

Fulfillment 278

Fulfillment Shipping Supply Chain Management Consumer 278

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 10, 2020

Walmart, however, is not taking in-store returns for apparel, cleaning supplies, health and beauty or pharmacy purchases, although customers can ship products back using the Walmart app or web site. This policy prompted customer complaints that a local ABC TV affiliate in Chicago reported on.

Returns 301

Returns Beauty and Health Shipping Customer Experience 301

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 29, 2024

While more retailers are handing off these tasks to other companies, presumably as a way to cut costs (rising shipping costs were identified as the top challenge among retailers, at 56% ), nearly as many ( 55% , up from 38% in 2022) worry about customer expectations around delivery times.

Fulfillment 289

Fulfillment Drop-Shipping Customer Retention Shipping 289

Retail TouchPoints

JUNE 1, 2023

Walmart ’s latest sustainability initiatives combine changes to its fulfillment processes as well as customer-facing options for reducing waste, including allowing online shoppers to opt out of plastic bags for store pickup orders and to request consolidation of multiple items into fewer boxes.

Fulfillment 279

Fulfillment Shipping Location Planning 279

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

Owning the Entire Customer Experience. As a result, it has been able to maintain its DTC model and ensure it can keep its competitive pricing and own the entire customer experience — from delivery to installation. That’s why the ethos behind our brand is making every day feel as relaxing as Sunday morning.”.

Shopping 278

Shopping Customer Experience Shipping Consumer 278

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 30, 2023

In today’s challenging business landscape, where profit margins are shrinking, supply chains are slow and uncertain, labor shortages are prevalent and inflation is a concern, it is crucial for retailers and brands to differentiate between understanding customer habits and fostering customer loyalty in order to succeed.

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Checkout Shipping Customer Experience Point of Sale 262

Retail TouchPoints

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Goldsby: Well, the best return is the one that doesn’t happen, but you can’t stiff-arm customers — providing a bad customer experience is not a good idea. On the other hand, ultra-liberal return policies are fine for the customer experience, but they’re really expensive.

Returns 306

Returns Supply Chain Management Fulfillment Customer Experience 306

Retail TouchPoints

JANUARY 10, 2023

Consumers can attach prepaid shipping labels to their returns or send a shipping QR code directly to their “Dasher” via the DoorDash app. Dashers will send confirmation photos to consumers when they drop off the items at the designated store.

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Returns Drop-Shipping Wholesale Shipping 278

Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 20, 2023

The top five episodes of 2023 reaffirm some of the most trending topics we covered on Retail TouchPoints over the past year, illustrating how rapidly the industry (and the customer experience) have evolved. Let’s begin the countdown… 5. Why it Matters: In 2023, we saw employee turnover reach record highs.

Advertising 264

Advertising Store Operations Merchant Services Wholesale 264

Retail TouchPoints

APRIL 20, 2022

The retailer already does business in Canada, but opening a dedicated warehouse in the country will reduce shipping costs and allow for expedited delivery options. “The world of shopping has completely transformed since we got our start in 2014, and so has the way our customers experience Brooklinen,” said Fulop in a statement.

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Planning Shipping Customer Experience Location 296

Retail TouchPoints

JUNE 4, 2020

By looking ahead and trying to prepare for a new normal while dealing with the realities brought on by COVID-19, retailers that embrace an agile approach, focus on the customer experience and make digital a strategic imperative are going to see the benefits and ultimately, end up on top.

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Drop-Shipping Shipping Customer Experience Consumer 250

Retail TouchPoints

MAY 2, 2023

Known for its closets and organizational solutions, The Container Store’s program is unusual in accepting products for resale from categories that it doesn’t sell. Container Store customers can pick up a ThredUp Clean Out Kit at any of the retailer’s 97 stores or generate a prepaid shipping label from containerstore.thredup.com.

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Payment Services Apparel Shipping Accessories 278

Retail TouchPoints

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Increased Online Spending: 61% of respondents say a positive in-store experience makes them more likely to buy from the brand online. Increased In-Store Spending: 64% say a positive in-store customer experience makes them more likely to spend more at their visit. Online retail has its warts.

Checkout 334

Checkout Shopping Customer Experience Returns 334

Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 22, 2020

Seeking to minimize customers’ return complexities, Walmart has partnered with FedEx for at-home pickup of unwanted gifts or ill-fitting apparel. Customers can schedule returns via the new Carrier Pickup by FedEx service for products that have been shipped and sold by Walmart.com, using either the website or the Walmart app.

Returns 263

Returns Drop-Shipping ATS Shipping 263

Retail TouchPoints

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

This enables a robust omnichannel retail strategy that delivers a unified, seamless and consistent customer experience across all physical stores, websites and mobile apps. Given this year’s supply chain and shipping challenges, synchronization of inventory and having immediate access to the latest data is a business imperative.

Supply Chain Management 264

Supply Chain Management Fulfillment Shipping Consumer 264

Retail TouchPoints

APRIL 21, 2023

per year, features this spend-and-earn benefit but also adds a 10% discount in-store and online, free standard shipping, drink upgrades in B&N Cafes and a new canvas tote each year, among other perks. “It Premium Membership, which costs $39.99

Shipping 290

Shipping Location Planning Store Operations 290

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 5, 2024

In fact, the 2023 Retail TouchPoints Store Operations Survey found that among the 82% of respondents who have armed associates with mobile devices, 59% saw improved employee productivity while 50% saw improved cross-sells and upsells. That’s three different passwords and user accounts in each store across the fleet.

Inventory Management 264

Inventory Management Point of Sale Promotions Jewelry 264

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 20, 2021

The launch comes just a few months after Best Buy rolled out its own membership program , which combines its Geek Squad tech support services with free shipping. Walmart isn’t the first retailer to try to take a bite out of Best Buy’s services apple.

Shipping 279

Shipping Consumer Store Operations Customer Experience 279

Retail TouchPoints

JULY 25, 2022

BOPIS, boasts a number of very strong positives for both retailers and their customers. Retailers save on shipping costs while leveraging their in-store inventories to fulfill customer orders, while shoppers get the products they want without having to wait for a delivery. Improving Store Operations Efficiency.

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Fulfillment Shipping Promotions Store Operations 242

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 3, 2021

We’ve reduced our use of paper by moving from printed instruction manuals to placing QR codes on our packaging so that customers can digitally access the information they need. That ability to ship things more easily means a smaller environmental impact for everybody. That means less paper and packaging, and it’s one-third the volume.

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Consumer Shipping Finance Planning 336

Retail TouchPoints

JUNE 16, 2020

Instead of handing returned items to store associates for processing, shoppers now bag items themselves, depositing the sealed bags into Happy Returns reusable totes for aggregated shipping.

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Returns Drop-Shipping Store Operations Shipping 179

Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 31, 2021

“I do think the nature of retail jobs will change, whether it’s [staffing] microfulfillment centers or just ship-from-store and BOPIS,” said David Ritter, Managing Director of the Alvarez & Marsal Consumer and Retail Group in an interview with Retail TouchPoints.

Home Furnishings 312

Home Furnishings Shipping Fulfillment Consumer 312

Retail TouchPoints

JUNE 25, 2024

Our enhanced FLX Rewards program represents a significant step in providing a seamless shopping experience for sneaker enthusiasts,” said Mary Dillon, President and CEO of Foot Locker in a statement.

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Drop-Shipping Planning Shipping Returns 258

Retail TouchPoints

AUGUST 29, 2024

Consumers cite value as their top reason for using these apps, at 58% , far outstripping the second-most-popular reason, fast shipping, at 28%. Even if you’re not offering points, benefits like free returns or shipping” can encourage shoppers to sign up.

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Consumer Shipping Accounting Planning 278

Retail TouchPoints

DECEMBER 7, 2020

The store is laid out in distinct sections for custom, rental and retail sales, and includes new fixture systems and co-creation tables for customers to work with expert stylists. A new “Vault,” highly visible on the store floor, holds additional inventory while giving consumers transparency into store operations.

Customer Experience 299

Customer Experience Location Consumer Apparel 299

Retail TouchPoints

MARCH 2, 2021

It was the kind of “-geddon” that could be seen coming from a mile away — a perfect storm combining an ecommerce boom; retailers, fulfillment centers and shipping providers that were already stretched thin by a global pandemic; and the historically hectic holiday season looming.

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Returns Merchant Services Drop-Shipping Consumer 328