The bird is looking dapper...

Someone made him a top hat out of cardboard! He looks so dashing.

KthanksGottaGoBye!

Speaking of chat tool representatives, doesn't it seem like they always want to get out of the conversation as soon as possible?

Me: "Do you offer blahblahblah on overnight shipping?"
RetailChatRep: "The answer is yes. Did I answer all of your questions today?"

No, not yet. Why the rush? I love the idea of chatting online with a sales rep rather than picking up the phone or going into a location, but there's often a sense of urgency that they have to run. Whether it's online, in a store or on the phone, customer service representatives need to give shoppers their full attention and enough time to get all answered.

Better-informed shoppers make better-informed purchasing decisions and ultimately have a better experience with the retailer -- so please, let's not rush a Q&A session. It's in the best interest for everyone.

Online chat reps, please speak up

I’m all about using the “Chat Now” tool on e-commerce sites – why pick up the phone when you can just send an instant message to a customer service representative and get all of your questions answered on the spot? In my mind, seeing that feature on a site shows the company is not only thinking about the customer experience but it’s also an industry innovator.

I recently found myself chatting away with a customer service representative from online retailer Newegg.com. I was in the process of purchasing a wireless Rock Band guitar as a part of a birthday gift and wanted it shipped to the recipient’s home before I visited that following weekend. My obvious goal was that I wanted to be there when they opened the box. After the customer service representative answered all of my questions and assured it would arrive in time, I couldn’t have been more pleased with my first Newegg experience.

That is, until the next weekend when I arrived to find the Rock Band guitar box completely exposed and sitting pretty in their apartment. The gift wasn’t opened without me; Newegg just put the mailing address on the box itself and shipped it out on its way. So much for the surprise.

I completely support retailers that are going more green and cutting back on packaging costs, but my frustration lies with the customer service representative: After conversing for more than 10 minutes, they didn’t care to mention my gift would arrive completely exposed? I don’t know Newegg, perhaps I’m not that all impressed with you and your chat skills after all.

The way of the whale...

Specialty apparel retailer Vineyard Vines has come a long way since it started selling neckties for men back in 1998. The Stamford, Conn.-based retailer now markets a full range of apparel and fashion accessories for men, women and children, selling its products through catalogs, call centers, 500-plus specialty and department stores, and nine brick-and-mortar stores on the East Coast.

(You know, it's the brand with that cute little whale logo).

Anyway, to keep up with its expansion and in order to create a cohesive brand experience through these various channels, Vineyard Vines sought a technology platform that would not only support growth but also tie its sales channels together.

To read how the company is doing so -- and how it's using social networking to reach customers -- read the full story by clicking here.

Did Sephora eat the Apple?

Sephora is joining the self-service wave by offering kiosk units in six airports nationwide. I recently heard about the retailer’s self-service initiative to provide some of its best-selling beauty essentials to on-the-go travelers, but I finally spotted one of its branded vending machines at the Indianapolis airport last weekend.

Operated by ZoomSystems, the kiosk is powered by touch screen technology and has a video monitor to walk customers through the process. The software is easy to use; the hardware sleek and a great extension of the brand. The units are also being tested in 20 JCPenney stores.

While playing around with the machine during my flight delay, I realized there used to be an Apple kiosk in the very same spot. What happened? Has Sephora gone and upped Apple?

McDonald's takes on Starbucks

While many retailers have lowered prices over the past year or so to retain a core-customer base, others have reaped big benefits by redefining its typical competition and targeting a new audience. For example, McDonald's is now taking on Starbucks by offering less expensive specialty drinks.

“Although McDonald’s has long promoted its dollar menu to reach its target demographic, the company started to take on a new community of consumers that were trading down,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, VP and principal at Forrester Research, during the session 'State of Online Retailing 2010.' “Instead, McDonald’s met them half way by trading up, and this worked really well for them.”

The idea of value messaging and offering the cheapest price around has worked retailers in the past, but many companies are thinking outside the box and gaining success by taking their veteran brands and trading up against new competitors, she added.

Case in point: How great is that McDonald's billboard?

(Image via americanenergycrisis.blogspot.com)

The poor little guy...

Ever since I wrote about the Twitter bird perched outside my cubicle, he often goes missing or ends up dead (as pictured above). Apparently my co-workers think they're very funny ...