JetBlue’s Innovative Customer Service Software

Posted on September 26, 2017 by bermanevansretail

JetBlue is known for its superior customer service. This helps engender customer loyalty, According to fliers’ ratings of the airline industry (as reported by the American Customer Satisfaction Index), JetBlue is the highest-rated domestic airline for customer satisfaction. To make sure it stays on top with customers, JetBlue is introducing new software to make complaint-handling a seamless experience.

As Ryan Craggs reports for Condé Nast Traveler:

 

“The airline has announced a partnership with the startup Gladly, which, according to a statement released by JetBlue, ‘allows customers to move from one communication channel — such as phone, text, chat, E-mail, tweet, or even Facebook message — to the next without taking valuable time to repeat and recap their previous conversations.’ That means going forward, every interaction you have with JetBlue will be collated into one place. In the current setup, all those modes of communication are cordoned off from one another, so there’s no way for a gate agent to know that you’ve already spoken with customer service on the phone, or for the person behind the Twitter account to know that you’ve also already spoken to the gate agent.”

 
Click the image to read more about JetBlue’s integrated complaint-handling approach.

Photo by Alamy

 

Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

iPhone Rolls On

Posted on September 25, 2017 by bermanevansretail

Yes, iPhones are a big deal, which we discussed on Evans on Marketing when the 10th anniversary models were unveiled. Since introduction, the iPhone has represented a HUGE percentage of Apple’s total revenues.

As the following chart from Statista shows:

“Since 2007, Apple’s iPhone sales have consistently increased. It has gone from 40 million units sold in 2010 to more than 212 million in 2016. iPhone sales worldwide were over 136 billion U.S. dollars in 2016. As sales increased, the iPhone gained within the company. It has become the most successful Apple product to date. The iPhone’s share of the total revenue has jumped from 25 percent in the beginning of 2009 to 70 percent in the first quarter of 2017. As of the first quarter of 2017, iPhone’s share of revenue was at 69.4 percent. Much of the iPhone’s success can be attributed to Apple’s ability to be competitive, with new releases and updates.”

 

iPhone Share of Apple Sales worldwide — 2009-2017

Chart by Statista

 

Apple has accomplished these results despite large price increases. According to Niall McCarthy, writing for Statista, and the chart below:

“The unveiling of the iPhone X was the most eagerly anticipated part of Apple’s launch extravaganza [on September 12, 2017]. The new handset made a daring design move in ditching the home button, while it now boasts a facial scanner and the ability to make animated emojis. For some fans, the enthusiasm of the event and the enormous hype surrounding the iPhone X will be tampered by the device’s exorbitant price tag. The iPhone X will cost between $999 and $1,149 for U.S. users. That makes it the most expensive iPhone to date, costing more than the iPhone 6s and 7 Plus, both of which hit the market at $949 (256GB). Back when the original iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs in 2007, the 4GB version of the device cost $499 and the 8GB version cost $599 (both requiring a 2-year contract).”

 

Chart by Statista

 

Posted in Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shopping Centers’ Impact

Posted on September 20, 2017 by bermanevansretail

Despite the downward trend in the overall popularity of shopping centers, they still account for a sizeable part of the U.S. economy. Their impact remains enormous — even if reduced.

According to various sources — International Council of Shopping Center (ICSC), U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Fortune Magazine, 24/7 Wall St., CoStar, JREPM, Lazard Global Real Estate Securities, NAREIT, and NAIOP — as of June 2017, U.S. shopping centers:

  • accounted for millions of jobs.
  • included numerous non-retail tenants.
  • yielded billions of dollars annually in revenues for communities and states through property and sales taxes.
  • encompassed both small and large venues.

 
Take a look at the infographic to learn more.

SHOPPING CENTERS ARE MAJOR EMPLOYERS. SHOPPING CENTER JOBS ARE MORE THAN RETAIL. SHOPPING CENTERS ARE BIG BUSINESS. SHOPPING CENTERS ARE SMALL BUSINESS
 

Posted in Careers in Retailing, Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 4: Store Location Planning, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment