In the past, Black Friday marked the official start of the holiday shopping season. But this year, things are looking a lot different. For many consumers, the 2020 holiday shopping season is already well underway. According to a survey from Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights, 70% of consumers plan to start their holiday shopping before…

October is the month of tricks, treats and all things spooky. But do you know one thing that shouldn’t be scary — even on Halloween? Your responses to customer reviews! Sure, it can be easy to get spooked by the occasional negative review. But the way you respond to a negative review (or don’t) plays a huge role in how much…

At the Intersection of Maximum Connection and Minimal Contact It’s 2020 and the eCommerce world finds itself in an interesting place. On one hand, the lifespan of eCommerce is at a point where consumer connection matters more than ever. Customer Experience tops the list of what retailers strive for each day. In fact, the Qualtrics…

Product returns are an ongoing frustration for the majority of brands and retailers — especially those that sell online. CNBC reports that 15-40% percent of online purchases are returned, compared to 5-10% of in-store purchases. And it seems the problem is only getting bigger. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, more consumers are shopping online. As a…

Introduction Negative reviews are a fact of life for businesses — even the most customer-focused ones. No matter how great a product or service is, it’s simply impossible to please every person every single time. Negative reviews may be unavoidable, but that doesn’t businesses welcome them. That’s because this content can do some serious damage…

Introduction Fall is officially underway! In many parts of the country, the air is getting crisper and the leaves are changing colors. And that can only mean one thing: the 2020 holiday season is just around the corner. In fact, many consumers are already in holiday shopping mode. Our friends at PowerReviews surveyed more than 5,000 consumers in August…

Your customers’ satisfaction is at the heart of everything you do. So when someone writes a negative business review for your products or services — or even an experience they had with your brand — it stings. Negative reviews can hurt your business. But how much of an impact do they have? The good news…

AmazonBasics has been making headline news lately. First there were the antitrust allegations, which claim the company uses insider data to develop its own private label products that directly compete with other brands. Amazon launched its first private label brand, “AmazonBasics” in 2009. Today, they have more than 200 private label brands in a variety of…

As a customer-focused business, you work hard to deliver products and experiences your shoppers love. So ideally, every single one of your shoppers would sing your praises. But that’s just not realistic. Sometimes, things go wrong. Perhaps a shipment is delayed or a shopper receives an item that’s been damaged in transit. Or maybe a…

Customer feedback is essential to a brand’s success. After all, it’s difficult to determine if you’re satisfying your customers’ needs (and understand how you can improve) if you’re not continually asking for input. Of course, there are many ways a shopper can share their feedback on products, brands and experiences. But increasingly, consumers provide input…

Customer-centric brands are laser-focused on providing great experiences to their shoppers. And for good reason. Consumers that have good experiences with a brand become loyal. What’s more, these happy shoppers are likely to spread the word about their great experiences. This, of course, leads to sales growth for the brand. In fact, according to an article…

The majority of U.S. states have eased their stay-at-home orders, but many people are still reluctant to venture into crowded brick-and-mortar stores. And that means more consumers are shopping online. According to data from Bazaarvoice, in April 2020, eCommerce orders were up 96% year-over-year. With this rapid growth in eCommerce comes an increased dependence on user-generated…