The New Challenge For Retailers: Delivering Online Convenience With In-Store Personalization

I recently caught up with Anna, a regional manager of a leading retail brand. Over coffee, our conversation steered towards the mounting pressure on retailers to focus on extracting insights to improve in-store experiences for customers. Today's shoppers - the millennials, aging baby boomers and the general affluent population - seek personalization, convenience, accessibility as well as 'shareable' experiences'. It is common knowledge that retailers need to know their customers as individuals, not by segments or even by micro-segments, to provide truly personalized service. 

Get A Great Website For Your Business [ERPREF:290241-139]

Our Development Team Is Standing-By To Build Your Website.

If you don't have a website for company, chances are your new age customers are not able to check your business information online when they need it the most or suggest your business to new customers using the Internet to find product and service suppliers locally.  Here is proof why: Statistics already show billions are lost in revenue, by businesses that don’t have an online presence when compared with their competitors who have a website. This is because during that crucial time of decision making by potential customers, they are nowhere to be found online.

Insurers face exit fees investigation

Major insurers are being put under the spotlight after a regulator found that customers may have been unaware of life insurance exit fees.

 

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said it had found examples of poor practice in the treatment of customers with so-called zombie policies.

These are held by long-standing clients and are closed to new customers.

The FCA is worried about how exit fees and charges were explained to customers.

These included "paid-up fees", where customers stop paying premiums but are still in the policy.

The fresh investigation will focus on the explanation of charges after December 2008 at six firms - Abbey Life, Countrywide, Old Mutual, Police Mutual, Prudential and Scottish Widows.

Npower to Cut Gas Price by 5.2%, with Effect 28th,March.

Npower has become the fourth major UK energy supplier to announce a reduction in its gas price - with a 5.2% cut taking effect on 28 March.

The date of the change is likely to bring renewed criticism that prices are cut only towards the end of the coldest months.

 

The move will mean a £32 average annual cut to customers on a standard domestic gas tariff.

Npower said the fall would benefit about 1.2 million customers.

SSE follows E.On with gas price cut

The UK's second biggest energy supplier

SSE is to cut its standard gas tariff for domestic customers by 5.3%.

 

SSE is the second of the big six suppliers

to announce price cuts this winter. Both companies are only cutting gas, not electricity prices.

Last week E.On said it would cut gas prices by 5.1%.

Energy firms overcharging customers, says Ofgem

Dermot Nolan, chief executive of Ofgem, told the BBC that domestic gas and electricity prices should be cheaper "for the vast majority of people".

 

Wholesale energy costs make up nearly half of a domestic bill, and have fallen by about a third in the last 12 to 18 months, he said.

Yet, prices had not fallen, he added.

Energy UK, which represents the major energy energy companies, insisted that there was a competitive market of 34 suppliers and that people should switch for savings of hundreds of pounds.

DCA said Whole Foods pays $500,000 to settle overcharging probe

The city's Department for Consumer Affairs (DCA) said the firm had to meet standards on weighing and labelling.

 

The deal means customers "are better protected from overcharging", it said.

Whole Foods admitted to making mistakes but said there was "no evidence of systematic or intentional misconduct".

Franklaw water treatment bug to cost United Utilities £25m

 

Customers had to boil their tap water after cryptosporidium, a microbial parasite was discovered.

The bug, which can cause diarrhoea, was found at a treatment works on 6 August.

United Utilities said it was "grateful" for the patience of its customers.

Nigeria Telecom Launches Ultra-high Speed WiFi

 The Airtel new Ultra-high Speed Wi-Fi from Airtel will be rolled out in malls, airports, universities and public areas all over Nigeria.

 

Glo expands Retail Outlets in Benin

Residents of Benin can now access more efficient and effective Glo customer care service with the recent opening of Gloworld at the Kada Entertainment Centre, Sapele Road, Benin City.

The latest addition takes the total number of Globacom’s flagship retail outlets in Benin city to three, to compliment hundreds of other Glo Zones, dealer outlets and sub dealer outlets.

De La Rue shares dive as Profits Fall

It warned last year that profits would be £20m lower than in the year before.

Operating profits were down 22% at £69.5m, in line with that guidance, but the company also chopped its dividend from 42p to 25p.