My resolution next year is to climb a tough peak in the Chamonix Valley in France. The 'why' is because it's been on my list for 15 years, and it's overdue. The 'how' is a detailed set of logistical, physical, mental, and family preparations.
Providing great service has always mattered. Doing it brilliantly and consistently, is where things become hard, particularly for SMEs juggling growth, limited resources and rising customer expectations. At Moneypenny, we exist to solve that challenge. By combining unrivalled people and smart AI, we represent businesses seamlessly, delivering exceptional conversations that protect reputation and drive growth. That mission has never been more relevant.
Builders often talk about uncertainty as if it were a temporary fog that had to clear eventually. Rates will decline, the Fed will pivot, pent-up demand will return, migration will pick up again, and the longstanding pattern of structural underbuilding will resume. The idea that the industry's biggest risks come from the outsideand that the outside world and its cyclical forces will eventually save themhas been one of homebuilding's most persistent forms of magical thinking.
The concept has drawn huge crowds across Europe because some shoppers abroad have found everything from collectable gold bars to rare Pokémon cards worth up to €2,000. The start-up said that it buys lost e-commerce packages, repackages them and sells them in their "original state", offering shoppers a "real-life treasure hunt" and said it prevents thousands of items from being destroyed. However, it's worth noting that after my visit, a huge amount of packaging was left behind.
Drawing more customers to a restaurant takes more than good food-it takes top-notch marketing plan, creativity, and a strong connection with the community. People notice what stands out, from the moment they pass by your storefront to what they see online. The key to attracting more customers is blending visibility, experience, and convenience in ways that make your restaurant memorable.
Brandon Batchelor, Director of Sales & Strategic Partnerships at ReadyCloud, the shipping, returns and growth marketing e-commerce CRM Suite I've seen more returns than most people ever will. Why? Because I head up the sales division at a company that makes one of the more popular returns solutions for enterprise sellers on Shopify and other platforms. With that in mind, let's discuss something many big retail brands overlook: the post-purchase experience.
Having a basic UX strategy is no longer enough. There are an overwhelming number of digital products and services available, so having an aligned UX strategy will ensure you are fulfilling what you promised your customers, building brand loyalty, trust and advocacy. To truly understand the scope of a UX strategy, you need to evaluate the three primary components: a vision of intent; goals and measures of success; and a comprehensive plan.
London's business landscape moves fast. Footfall patterns change week to week, customers expect seamless experiences, and local businesses are constantly looking for tools that help them attract attention without adding extra operational work. That's why so many cafés, salons, gyms, retailers and service providers across the city are adopting modern QR code systems to streamline customer journeys. Not the old, static black-and-white squares, but flexible, dynamic versions that allow companies to update menus, offers or booking links instantly.
Today's audiences don't just want to buy from a brand. They want an experience to go along with it. And while strategies like transparency and smarter prep for sales calls can go a long way in boosting your sales numbers, the brands that achieve the greatest lasting success often focus on creating an unforgettable experience for their customers. What does an unforgettable experience actually look like?
Schaefer's book makes the case that people increasingly delegate their thinking and decision-making to AI. He illustrates this point with a simple yet powerful analogy: If you're in the diaper business, babies are the end users, but they are not the decision-makers. Decision-makers are the caregivers responsible for the end users. Therefore, diaper companies know to market to the caregiver responsible for the baby, not the baby.
That uniform wasn't just a coincidence; it was a deliberate part of the experience. It likely projected competence, professionalism, and trust before the employee ever said a word. In today's competitive market, a company's image is one of its most valuable assets. We spend thousands on branding, websites, and marketing, but often overlook one of the most powerful and consistent brand touchpoints: our own team.
When brands believe technology will mitigate their need to intimately understand their audience, they will undoubtedly lose in the battle for attention. As search becomes more complex with a true understanding of voice and context being needed, surfacing content will not be the biggest challenge. The biggest challenge will be about creating an experience and narrative that people truly want to engage with.
I want to shop at your store. You're (kinda) local and you employ a ton of Portlanders and buy from local farms and breweries and wineries and bakeries. You have a great variety of local seasonal organic stuff, and also regular stuff like Triscuits and Cheerios. You have beautiful flowers and the people at the register are nice. I want to shop there.
Maybe you were at a coffee shop and when your turn came, you opened your payment app, tapped your phone on the payment device, grabbed your cappuccino, and were done. Quick and easy. Maybe too quick and easy. Did the coffee shop miss a chance to engage with you? Did Mastercard miss an opportunity to show how their brand made this "priceless" moment possible? Did you miss an opportunity to teach your 8-year-old daughter a lesson on the value of money?
This bifurcation, according to Stern, is at the separation of commodity buying and experience-based shopping. On the one hand, if someone wants a commodity item or a widely available brand, almost any store will do. A shopper might ask ChatGPT to order more Tide laundry detergent, and not care who sells it. What matters is getting Tide delivered quickly at a low price.
Starbucks Corp. ( NASDAQ: SBUX) recently said that it would launch a secret AI barista. What isn't clear is why that's a secret. Fortune picked up CEO Brian Niccol's comments. He said Starbucks is well underway in launching an artificial intelligence project. The results, Niccol added, will be a system to help store staff predict in "real time" what customers order. This will specifically apply to people who order their items in advance. It won't help.
It all started back in the early 1990s at a meeting with our travel agent advisory board. This was a group of about a dozen standout travel advisors from across the country chosen by our sales team not just for their sales volume but for their creativity and sharp business instincts. They came from a variety of backgrounds, brought different perspectives to the table, and had all built successful businesses from the ground up. Most importantly, each was seen as savvy and articulate.
