One of the biggest threats to brick-and-mortar retailers in 2012 is “Showrooming”: consumers who walk into a store with a smartphone to look at merchandise and make use of the expertise of the staff… and then make their purchase online from Internet retailer at a lower price. Conventional wisdom holds that because of the “Showrooming” […]
I’ve spent some time on bad customer service lately — Best Buy, Ocean Marketing and Penny Arcade, and, of course, SuperBookDeals have offered plenty of material. So it’s only fair to salute three companies — two national, one local — who did some small things that made things just a little bit nicer. In December alone: The […]
You are a public relations professional, specializing in crisis management. Your client, Best Buy, took a whole bunch of orders online, and now can’t deliver. What advice would you give them? Comment below. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Email Phil Bernstein here. Like what you’re reading? There’s more! Sign up for Phil Bernstein’s free advertising and marketing e-newsletter here. […]
I recently walked into a McDonald’s in Orlando, Florida carrying a simple set of instructions: return to the hotel with three Egg McMuffins and three orders of hash browns. I walked up to the counter and placed my order. Me: Three Egg McMuffins and three orders of hash browns, please. Woman at counter: Our Egg […]
Here’s a story of what happens when a cranky customer and an inflexible merchant meet: both sides lose. I’m a Blackberry user, willing (so far) to put up with the slow browser, lack of features, and iPhone envy. In return I get a physical keyboard and a comforting sense of the familiar. I also have […]