Often, times of immeasurable hardships can spur innovations that generate positive future organizational improvements. It’s not a matter of being shamelessly optimistic; more often than not, long days under the darkest of clouds reveal at least one silver lining. To call the COVID-19 pandemic a challenge would qualify as an historic understatement for employers, employees,...Read More

Image Credit: Stockbakery / Shutterstock.com Perhaps the most inconvenient aspect of shopping online is returning an item that failed to meet expectations. Repacking and taking the unwanted item to a shipping location is often inconvenient, time consuming and expensive. Amid all the fanfare about how online sellers are eating brick and mortar retailers for lunch,...Read More

Chatbots, a computer program or artificial intelligence which can simulate a convincing conversation with humans, are predicted to be the latest technology to revolutionize many aspects of repetitive commercial and business functions. Typically used in dialog systems for various practical purposes, including customer service or information acquisition, Chatbots are poised to impact the customer service...Read More

The spring buds had barely broken into leaf when United Airlines (UA) set into motion what is becoming a summer of brand destroying idiocies. The airline industry, not always praised for their customer centric approach to operations management, decided moving a few of their employees to another location was more important than several passengers who...Read More

Now a wise shopkeeper himself, the gentleman remembers the early days helping around his own parents’ store. From the moment they found him mature enough to handle a position on the sales floor and just tall enough to reach the keys to the cash register, his father instilled and re-inforced in him a few basic...Read More

It is a phrase that has been seen in headlines of articles across industry publications, frequently heard in board rooms, and endlessly repeated on internet forums. Yes, ‘Big Data’ has been a hot-button topic and a dominant trend for some time now, but all evidence points to an army of executives, marketers, and other leaders...Read More

We live in an economy where consumers’ purchase behaviors are constantly changing. Technology arms consumers with the ability to shop for the best price on a smart device without ever stepping foot into a retail store. And yet, there remains a segment of the marketplace focused on delivering a memorable in-store experience; so much so...Read More

More than just resonating through pop culture and slowly destroying productivity, social media has undoubtedly altered the way we communicate and the way we react. Businesses have recently felt the pressure to change strategies to brand themselves effectively in the paradigm that social media has established. Creating the right kind of message is an integral...Read More

A recent experience entailed visiting a prominent big box retailer’s physical location, comparing prices on a smartphone while in the building, and finding that the chain’s own E-retail site had the desired item for a lower price than in the store. When the sales associates refused to honor or match the price from the store’s...Read More

As summer brings sweltering  heat coast to coast, Americans are beginning to abandon traditional relief from sweet treats in ice cream parlors and popsicle stands in favor of an explosive new trend; frozen yogurt shops. These dairy-slinging stores are in the business of selling happiness, and feature diverse flavors and toppings for consumers to customize...Read More