Who’s On Your Retail Radar?

by Lina Arseneault, posted in analytics, customer experience, innovation, Mobile, retail, Social

Retail Radar: Suggestions For Your Retail Map

I created a retail roundup, a public Twitter list that brings together the many facets of the retail industry ecosystem.  Think of it as my retail radar for scanning retailing, technology and innovation.  I leverage this list extensively to stay current, find research and uncover case studies to help add color to my customer experience blog series.

By no means is this retail radar list comprehensive and complete but it’s a good starting point for anyone interested in keeping tabs on retailing events, expert opinions, analysts, vendor specific retail practices, analytics and industry publications.

Here are some of my favorite go-to retail specific Twitter handles.

Events:

Expert Opinion:

  • Doug Stephens is the author of “The Retail Revival” and advisor on mega-trends in retail and consumerism  @RetailProphet
  • Jason “Retailgeek” Goldberg @RetailGeek VP of Commerce Strategy at Razorfish
  • Paul Schottmiller @RetailForesight Retail Strategy Consultant, Cisco Systems
  • Steven P Dennis @StevenPDennis Senior multi-channel retail executive and strategic growth and marketing advisor. Former SVP @NeimanMarcus

Analysts and Consultants:

 Vendor Specific Retail Practices:

 Analytics and Social Login:

RetailNext Video Teaser – Be Empowered from RetailNext on Vimeo.

Gartner Says Half of New Retail Customer Identities Will Be Based on Social Network Identities by 2015.

 Retail Industry News:

mCommerceDaily

I hope you’ll enjoy these 31 Twitter handle suggestions and the others featured on my Retail Radar list.  Who would you add to the list?

 

Additional Information:

Sophisticated Guides for Sophisticated Consumers

by Lina Arseneault, posted in Management, Marketing, Mobile

The Next-Generation Retail Associate will be the cornerstone of personalized and unique shopping experiences.  They will be the ones wielding the mobile point of sale (POS) and information devices; and will be the face of the brand with the consumer.

“ They will be engaging individuals who are capable of building strong emotional connections with consumers, and they will be supported by technologies that will help them to achieve this.” – Doug Stephens @RetailProphet and author of The Retail Revival

This evolving new breed of associates will barely resemble those we have become used to (put up with) over the last two or three decades.  They will be computer and mobile savvy and have superior interpersonal skills. And the more languages they speak to accommodate the customer, the better.  Let’s take a glimpse into their technology-enabled world in the not-too-distant future …

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1)     Mobile-Device Enabled

The mobile device will be the most important tool for working in this new environment.

“Retailers surveyed for the 2013 RIS News Store Systems Study, released in August 2013, identified ‘mobile for associates’ as their top store system priority, chosen by 61% of respondents.” – Retail Info Systems (RIS)

2)     Access to In-Store Wi-Fi

If mobile devices are the embodiment of this new era of retail, in-store Wi-Fi is the behind-the-scenes magic that will make it possible. It will arm associates with:

  • Source: Operating Seamlessly: Integrating Operations to Deliver the Non-Stop Customer Experience, 2013 via @AccentureRetail
    Source: Operating Seamlessly: Integrating Operations to Deliver the Non-Stop Customer Experience, 2013 via @AccentureRetail

    Store and company-wide inventory

  • In-depth product specifications
  • Product reviews
  • Customer name, demographics, purchase history
  • Customer loyalty program information
  • Employee collaboration and social tools

3)     Workforce Management Solutions

These systems offer many sophisticated tools for managers and associates to plan, record and optimize their tasks, including:

  • Scheduling information
  • Recording time worked
  • Shift bidding (where associates can swap shifts with others according to guidelines)
  • Exchanging information with HR

4)     Superior Customer Service Capability

Armed with easy access to information about the customer standing right in front of them — and what the store can offer to them — the associate will be empowered to deliver excellent and personalized customer service:

  • Greet customer via mobile phone upon entering the store
  • Guide customers on how to leverage loyalty program perks
  • Answer customer in-depth questions about products and selection
  • Offer customers information on useful add-on or additional products
  • Check stock without leaving the customer
  • Order on-line for them and arrange delivery, if not in stock (“endless aisle” concept)
  • Complete transaction via mobile POS so customer doesn’t need to wait in line
Source RIS: Preparing Associates for a New Paradigm in Customer Service
Source RIS: Preparing Associates for a New Paradigm in Customer Service

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The challenge for brick-and-mortar retailers will be to find these people.

perlsThis will require rethinking the value of the associate to the organization. Better compensation and training will be needed to mold these associates into ambassadors for their brand.

“ Retailers seeking to prepare their associates for a new paradigm will need to start thinking of that workforce as skilled users of technology, and train them in managing and meeting customer expectations that continue to climb.” – Retail Information Systems

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Additional Information:

@LinaArseneault Retail Blog Roll:

Potpourri Food for Thought: The Retail Remake

by Lina Arseneault, posted in Communications, Mobile, Social

Attention Retailers | By 2016 there will be 2.43B smartphoes in use – it’s time for you to meet us  on our terms!

As Senior Director of Marketing for wireless security leader AirTight Networks, I get to engage with a broad cross-section of quick service restaurant customers such as Yum Brands (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut), Noodles and Company, PinkBerry and Garden Fresh. With great success, AirTight is contuing its push into this segment of retail:

AirTight Launches Retail Wi-Fi Analytics Engine for In-Store Business Intelligence and Customer Engagement

 @Airtight Launches Social WiFi for Integrated Retail In-Store Engagement

In support of this effort, I recently wrote several blog posts on the evolution of retail – especially as it pertains to the customer experience.

The Retail Revival: Reimagining Business for the New Age of Consumerism [Doug Stephens]

PurpleWifi Guest Blog Post : 80% of mobile consumers are influenced by in store WiFi

To shop or not to shop?  in-store Wi-Fi is the answer to that question

Book review: The #Retail Revival by Doug Stephens @RetailProphet | blog post by Lina Arseneault

PurpleWifi Guest Blog Post : Retail Revival Book Review

Doug Stephens, author of The Retail Revival generously granted me a half hour interview.  I look forward to working with him in the near future.

Doug Stephens response to book review tweet

It’s clear that Internet connectivity will influence every facet of the retail industry.  Consider this statistic from the hospitality segment:

Factors that influence hotel booking choices|

Free in-room #WiFi is now considered THE most important amenity when booking a trip | http://twitpic.com/cgigq5

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When it comes to making purchase decisions, how important is always on access on your smart device?

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Retail Wi-Fi as a Competitive Advantage - webinar

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Retail Wi-Fi as a Competitive Advantage [on-demand webinar]

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Send suggestions for future Potpourri Food for Thought features.

Lina Arseneault is Millennial at heart. Follow her on Twitter.

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Potpourri Food for Thought: 10 Business Lessons Learned

by Lina Arseneault, posted in Communications, Leadership, Management

I’m not quite sure how I came across this presentation but I do remember that it was about 2 years ago, at an especially trying time in my career.

I know nothing about its author.  All I know is that the perspective it offers has a calming effect on me.  Every once in a while I pop it up on my screen and go through it.  It suggests that “Success hinges on teamwork, trust, ethics and a new lesson—lead by example. …”

10 Business Lessons Learned: A quick snapshot of important leadership lessons learned in business.

 

What do you keep around your office and how is it helpful to you?

 

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SVTweetUP: Social Selling or Selling Social?

by Lina Arseneault, posted in Communications, innovation, Leadership, Marketing, silicon valley, Social, social media, Twitter

 

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of mentoring an ambitious and innovative marketer named LaSandra Brill.  It wasn’t long before she blossomed into a leading edge authority on social media. LaSandra is the change agent visionary behind one of the top five product launches in Cisco’s history. At Cisco, she leads a team responsible for implementing a mix of innovative digital, mobile and social media techniques.

Photo credit

You can find LaSandra rocking social media on:

Following are a few LaSandra and Cisco social snipets:

Cisco Unveils Social Media Listening Center – Oct 23 2012

Silicon Valley Tweet Up

One of LaSanadra’s Facebook updates caught my eye.  I’d always wanted to attend an in person TweetUp (a meet up (virtual and/or in person) of people that ‘tweet’ about a specific topic using Twitter) but never got around to doing it.

HOW TO: Organize a Successful Tweetup by Stuart Foater

The one featured in LaSandra’s Facebook update was especially appealing because of its location, the topic (Social Selling or Selling Social?) and the panelists: Ted Sapounitz, Jennifer Leggio, Michael Brito, and LaSandra Brill – la crème de la crème of some of Silicon Valley’s best and brightest social media minds.

Silicon Valley Tweetup combines networking with philanthropy by raising money for family-oriented charities. Run by @britopian (Michael Brito), @gabrielcarrejo (Gabriel Carrejo) and @mediaphyter (Jennifer Leggio).

Michael Brito is a senior vice president of Social Business Planning at Edelman Digital.  He is also an Adjunct Professor at San Jose State University teaching social business to undergraduate students.

Jennifer Leggio describes herself as a raconteur, comedienne, hockey lover (no wonder I like her!) and “Security Twits herder emeritus”. She is VP of Corporate Communications for Sourcefire. Forbes.com tech contributor.

As of last week, Ted Sapountzis is head of Marketing and Product Management at NextPrinciples– he was formerly VP Social Marketing at SAP.

Sponsored by onemedical, the event was held was held at the Palo Alto Women’s Club. The format for the event was one part networking, two parts highly entertaining expert panel and one part free going twitter chat.

Needless to say, I felt far more comfortable at this event.

Inperson introvert and online extrovert? | You’re not alone!

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Gabriel Carrejo moderated the evening with engaging questions that uncovered the following themes:

  • Content is the currency of the social web

  • Make your content social friendly

  • It’s okay to experiment: fail fast, learn and move on

    • LaSandra Brill touches on Cisco’s SecondLife and Jennifer Leggio makes us laugh with her spelling mistake video anecdote.
  • Jennifer Leggio’s Keys to Social Media Success: repetition and consistency (For effect, she said it several times throughout the evening!)
(from left to right) Ted Sapounitz, Jennifer Leggio, Michael Brito, and LaSandra Brill | panelists for SVTweetUp “Social Selling or Selling Social?” – October 2012

Photo credit | More SVTweetUp photos

Everything you wanted to know about Twitter Chats via @markwschaefer

What makes for a great Tweet Up?

  • Topic
  • Format
  • Moderator
  • Panelists
  • Participants

What are some of your favorite Tweet Ups and why?

Related post:  High-Tech Wizardry and Entrepreneurial Witchcraft: What Makes Silicon Valley The World Capital of Innovation?

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Business Networking: What Archetype Are You?

by Lina Arseneault, posted in Communications, Marketing, silicon valley, Social, social media, Teams

One of my personal professional goals is to attend at least twelve business networking events throughout the year. Many people prefer face-to-face networking over online based networking – I am not one of them. I’m far more comfortable with virtual schmoozing or rubbing of digital elbows. Is it a wonder that social media makes my heart sing!

In chapter two of Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell describes three types of special people:

  • connectors (glue),

  • mavens (content) and

  • salespeople (persuasion).

I’m not shy and I’m a great public speaker (in fact, I love public speaking).  I’m simply not one of those natural in person cocktail “connectors”… but bring digital into the mix and the situation is quite different.   Isn’t it time to consider that some people might not be the same archetype in person as they are in an online setting?   One thing is for sure, I am not a salesperson type in either setting, never have, never will be! I’d describe myself as a maven (data and content are my thing) and hybrid-connector (in-person introvert / online extravert).

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Of my twelve networking events goal, I’m aiming for a distribution of about eight in-person (outside my comfort zone) and the balance as online or hybrid events.

And so, early in October, I accepted an exclusive invitation from SAP in concert with Diversity Week at the company. The Palo Alto based event featured a presentation by Barbara Annis, world-renowned gender specialist.  Following Barbara’s “Great Minds Think Unalike” lecture, there would be a Get to Know Us networking party with key executives.

Four things intrigued me about the SAP invitation:

1.      The title of the event: A Celebration of Female Talent

2.      There would be a lecture to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the workplace (I wouldn’t have to schmooze during that time!)

3.      Executives would be on hand at the networking party, and

4.      Most importantly, I am a huge fan of Michael Brenner.

Michael is the author of B2B Marketing Insider, the co-founder of Business 2 Community and also serves as Sr. Director of Integrated Marketing and Content Strategy for SAP where he is the founding editor for the SAP Business Innovation blog. Isn’t it interesting how my perception of Michael is both as SAP brand ambassador and industry expert? Corporations that embrace the social era will want to have many Michael’s – the more the better.

Join The 1% And Become A Content Creator by Michael Brenner

Your Employee Is an Online Celebrity. Now What Do You Do? – via @WSJ

Same Words, Different Language: How Men and Women Misunderstand each other at Work and What to do About It

Barbara was very engaging around making the case for gender intelligence.  She presented findings and case studies that illustrate how gender differences are complementary and help create competitive advantage.  Much of her material is based on her second book “Same Words, Different Language: How Men and Women Misunderstand each other at Work and What to do About It”.

Barbara’s lecture was certainly thought provoking and provided a great platform to open networking conversations (I was thankful for that).  The networking event was exceptional and I’m glad I attended.  Truth be known, after the fact, I’m always very pleased with in person events I attend … I just have to push myself to go.

Little did I know that I would have more exposure to SAP the following night at SVTweetUp, a hybrid in-person and online event.  More on that in a follow-on post.

What’s your archetype profile? Does it differ between online and in-person? Add your comments below.

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Additional Information

Clive Thompson on the Power of Introversion

Wired Magazine | April 2012

“Guy Kawasaki, by all appearances, seems like an outgoing guy. A former Apple “evangelist,” he’s an omnipresent voice online, blogging his ideas about entrepreneurship and tweeting 40 times a day to his half-million followers.

But a few years ago he posted a surprising 140-character revelation. “You may find this hard to believe,” Kawasaki wrote, “but I am an introvert. I have a ‘role’ to play, but fundamentally I am a loner.” His followers were gobsmacked.”

Continue reading at Clive Thompson on the Power of Introversion.

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CaféLina Receives Certification in Inbound Marketing

by Lina Arseneault, posted in blogging, closed-loop analysis, Communications, inbound marekting certified professional, inbound marketing, inbound marketing university, lead conversion, lead nurturing, Marketing, search engine optimization, Social, social media

For some time, I’ve wanted to complete Inbound Marketing University’s Inbound Marketing training curriculum. Inbound Marketing University awards the Inbound Marketing Certification as part of its comprehensive Internet marketing training program (http://inboundmarketing.com).

“If you have more money than brains, use outbound marketing. If you have more brains than money, use inbound marketing.” 

Guy Kawasaki

To complete the Inbound Marketing Certification, I completed 16 in-depth classes covering each facet of inbound marketing and passed a comprehensive online certification exam. The comprehensive exam contains 50 multiple choice and true & false questions. The examiner must receive a 75% or above to achieve the certification.

The courses are taught by a knowledgeable faculty of professors, including New York Times’ best-selling author Chris Brogan, Google’s Analytics Evangelist Avinash Kaushik, Internet celebrity Gary Vaynerchuk, best-selling author and international speaker David Meerman Scott, and more.

 Get Found | Convert | Analyze

Much of content is skewed to the < Get Found > portion of the inbound marketing continuum which is comprised of  < Get Found | Convert | Analyze >. < Get Found > is broken down into three areas: [ create, optimize and promote ]. For future revisions of the curriculum, my hope is that IMU will further expand on the < Analyze > portion.

My favorite classes were taught by David Meerman Scott (Viral Marketing and World Wide Raves), Lee Odden (SEO Crash Course to Get Found) and Avinash Kaushik (Advanced Marketing Analyics).

This certification acknowledges my proficiency in inbound marketing principles and best practices. These principles include: blogging, search engine optimization, social media, lead conversion, lead nurturing and closed-loop analysis.

I join an elite group of Inbound Marketing Certified Professionals. Over 2,000 individuals have successfully passed the IMU program since its inception in 2009. Students from all over the world have participated; countries include India, Australia, Denmark, Brazil, and more. The training and certification is completely free. Inbound Marketing University program is administered by HubSpot.

If you’re looking to sharpen your content marketing skills, consider Inbound Marketing University (IMU)

If leading edge marketing is your thing, build in a bit of time in your calendar over the course of the next few months and the next thing you know, you’ll obtain one of the industry’s hottest certification, and IMU is a free!

Are Inbound Marketing and Outbound Marketing Mutually Exclusive?

via Kuno Creative

Additional Information:

About InboundMarketing.com

InboundMarketing.com is an online community and certification program for marketers. The site’s content teaches a new style of marketing that emphasizes business uses of social media, content creation and search engine optimization for marketing. InboundMarketing.com is hosted and moderated by HubSpot, Inc.

Learn the latest tips and tricks to online marketing by downloading the latest edition of HubSpot’s most popular ebook!

About HubSpot

HubSpot, Inc. provides Internet marketing software that helps businesses get found online, generate more inbound leads and convert a higher percentage of those leads into paying customers. HubSpot’s software platform includes tools that allow professional marketers and business owners to manage search engine optimization, blogging and social media, as well as landing pages, lead intelligence and marketing analytics. Based in Cambridge, MA, HubSpot can be found at http://www.hubspot.com. HubSpot’s free marketing tools can be found at http://marketing.grader.com/.

Turbo Charge Your Career Development Plan With IMU

by Lina Arseneault, posted in innovation, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Teams

Is it that time of year? Is your heart racing at the thought of having your performance evaluation and career development discussion?

Anemic Career Development Plan?

Whatever you call them; employee reviews evaluate our performance on the job. They often determine raises, promotions, and sometimes whether we get to keep our jobs. It’s no surprise that these “report cards” often make us feel uneasy.  Have you become a “human-doing” and neglected to invest in your development plan?

In any learning organization, continuous improvement means growth through learning events and experiences.  It can be applied to individuals and teams.  Cost and time need not be barriers to your continuous learning investment.

If you’re looking to sharpen your content marketing skills, consider Inbound Marketing University (IMU)

IMU is a free (yes, free! management will love you for it) educational program powered by HubSpot, a software company that helps marketers and small businesses grow their business online through inbound marketing.

IMU Online Training and Certification Course for Internet Marketing Professionals

Because IMU courses are self-paced, you can watch the videos whenever your schedule allows and you can download all the materials including videos, handouts and case studies. The sessions are moderated by the who’s who of content marketing. In total, there are 18 modules covering a wide range of topics from blogging basics to SEO tactics, inbound lead nurturing as well as social media for big business; to name only a few. The training curriculum concludes with a certification exam, where one can become an “Inbound Marketing Certified Professional” (providing you score 75% or higher on the online certification exam).

GF101 as in “get-found-101”

The first course covers how to blog effectively for business.  It goes over the basics of blog layout and content. Ann Handley (MarketingProfs’ Chief Content Officer) and Mark Collier (Social Media Consultant) moderate this lead off session. The dynamic digital duo offers advice on how to draw in an audience and maintain quality engagement through feedback and interactions.

“Anything in life worth having is worth working for.” Andrew Carnegie

You’ll have to roll up your virtual sleeves to obtain the IMU certification.  Each module includes a homework assignment that helps you put into practice the learning of each session.  Specifically for GF101, you need to write about three best practices that you will adopt into your blogging strategy.

Fortunately for me, I’ve been blogging for a while. CaféLina is my virtual café where you’ll find tips, ideas, best practices, references and discussions on all things marketing, communications, digital, mobile and social. I’m always looking to improve the CaféLina reader experience (it’s a labor of love!)

Specifically, I want to get better in the following areas:

  1. Analytics: better understand the nuances in the data and plan out my editorial calendar accordingly
  2. Engagement: greater comment interaction on each post
  3. BlogRoll: develop an area where readers can easily find and reference resources they value (people, blogs, information)

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No more Excuses!

If leading edge marketing is your thing, build in a bit of time in your calendar over the course of the next few months and the next thing you know, you’ll obtain one of the industry’s hottest certification.  You’ll even be looking forward to your next performance evaluation and career development discussion

It’s up to us as individuals to make a commitment to our own development.

Considering the explosive evolution of technology and business processes, it’s not difficult to understand why leading organizations strongly encourage employee self-driven quest for knowledge.  These organizations understand that a culture of continuous learning is directly linked to competitiveness and business success. However, a company’s training department is seldom able to provide everything that employees need to be great at their jobs and prepare for the jobs of the future.  It’s up to us as individuals to make a commitment to our own development.

What’s in your development plan? (leave a comment below)

Additional Information:

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Potpourri Food for Thought: Don’t Hide Under a Rock

by Lina Arseneault, posted in Communications, Facebook, Marketing, Social, Twitter

2 Social Media Fix It Tips

Did you Tweet something, then change your mind? Don’t worry! It’s easy to delete one of your Twitter updates. Keep in mind that you can only delete Tweets that you have made, you can’t delete other users’ Tweets from your timeline and you can’t delete someone else’s RT of your post.

1) How to delete one of your Tweets:

Watch a YouTube video demonstration

  1. Log in to twitter.com.

  2. Visit your Profile page.

  3. Locate the Tweet you want to delete.

  4. Hover your mouse over the message and click Delete.

2) Facebook lets you edit your comments by Nancy Blair via USA Today

Apologizing opens up the doors to communication, which allows you to reconnect and move on more easily.  Remember that despite your best efforts, mistakes happen at some point.  Be sure to have a plan to respond to both positive and negative events. Know when and how to apologize.

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Check out OOPS … Marekting Hall of Shame to learn more about social media blunders and how to recover

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Social Media Crisis: An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure

by Lina Arseneault, posted in Communications, INFOGRAPHIC, Internet, Marketing, Mobile, Social, Twitter

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge and they are extremely popular of late.

To round out my Social Media Blunder series, I am featuring an infographic by Patricia Redsicker of www.wordviewediting.com.   How to Avoid A Social Media Crisis [Infographic] characterizes Jeremiah Owyang’s work on social business hierarchy of needs.

Altimeter Blog:  “Research Report: Be Prepared by Climbing the Social Business Hierarchy of Needs“ by Jeremiah Owyang  | Download  the complete report.  August 31, 2011

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

Now more than ever, it’s important for companies to listen to their customers on social media yet according to an infographic from Get Satisfaction and Column Five, 50 percent of companies say it’s not a core function of their business.  With the rise of power to the consumer via social media, companies will need to invest in listening.

“United Breaks Guitars” is a protest song by CanadianmusicianDave Carroll and his band, Sons of Maxwell. It chronicles a real-life experience of how his guitar was broken during a trip on United Airlines in 2008, and the subsequent reaction from the airline.  Over 12 million people have watched the YouTube video.

LA Fitness endures social media nightmare | via The Drum

Listening: Recognition Through Active Monitoring

  • Whether you take this on yourself or entrust it to a reputation management firm, it’s essential for you to know when trouble is brewing.
  • Listen all the time, not only on weekdays.

More on “listening” via @LaSandraBrill, Senior Manager Social Media at Cisco : [SlideShare] Cisco and the Social Web: Listening and Responding to Your Customers and Prospects

The Science of Listening in Social Media and Blogs via Kuno Creative

InformationWeek: Sentiment Analysis: How Companies Now Listen To The Web and 7 Ways Sentiment Is Hard To Decipher Online

More on Infographics

Social media is reinventing how business is done – via USATODAY.com

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