It wasn’t that long ago that the industry was saying, “Retail stores are dead!” and “The malls of America are empty and closing for good!” But with a new focus on interaction and engagement with consumers in retailers such as Rebecca Minkoff and Ralph Lauren, there could be a whole new world of retail.

I'm going to say the one thing you probably wouldn't expect from a post about welcome emails, but I promise I have my reasons: for the love of all things good in this world, please stop using the word "welcome" in your welcome campaigns*.

The New Balance store in Midtown Manhattan offers a truly foot-centric digital experience. Amongst the typical shoes and socks that you would find in a traditional shoe store, this New Balance location also offers a variety of interactive touchscreens and kiosks to help each unique customer find the right footwear, personalized for them.

On Listrak’s recent Manhattan Retail Reality Roadtrip, our group visited many stores located in Chelsea, Soho and along 5th Avenue. Even as an avid online shopper, I still love shopping in-store.

Some early reports have indicated that while online shopping is soaring today, traffic at malls is a little lighter than retailers may like.

It's that time of year again. Mailboxes are stuffed full of holiday catalogs and direct mail pieces. When I was a kid, I loved looking through the Christmas catalogs, circling all of the toys I wanted Santa to bring me. But now I rarely even open them before putting them in the trash.

Take advantage of in-store technology to create a one-of-a-kind integrated customer experience.

I had a revelation the other day while chatting with a wonderful client and was able to see this tried-and-true concept in a brand new way: a welcome series campaign is a lot like your first couple dates with someone new. You can begin to lay a strong foundation right there with a few smart moves or ruin it with a few often-made missteps. Hear me out.

The following post comes from our technology partner, OvenBits. Our partnership allows our shared clients, like giggle (referenced below), to use behavioral and transactional data from the Oven Bits ecommerce app platform, Pivot, to improve user experience at a brand level. This provides highly relevant, personalized content in triggered and marketing email campaigns, on site recommendations and more.

It’s easy to get caught up in the busy holiday season and overlook simple email strategies that are guaranteed to help you shine brighter in the inbox. Below are six simple, proven must-dos offered up by Listrak’s seasoned account managers:

The in-store experience is still an important way to improve customer engagement and increase sales.

When I logged into my inbox last Black Friday I expected to see a lot of black and I wasn’t disappointed. Black is naturally the go to color for Black Friday creative.

Today’s consumers are savvy shoppers. They shop on more devices than ever – not just the standard laptop, tablet and phone – but also smart TVs and wearable technology as the Internet of Things becomes a reality.

Every designer loves to be asked the age old cliché, “Can you make it pop”? Thanks to Apple, now we can make your emails Peek & Pop!

Holiday marketing campaigns appear to start earlier every year, both in-store and online, and it seems that the larger omnichannel retailers are leading the way this year.

According to the National Retail Federation, more than 157 million American adults will celebrate Halloween this year, and each will spend an average of $74 on costumes, candy, decorations and more. Treat your subscribers right to maximize your share of this $6.9 billion holiday.

By now you’ve likely heard news about mobile ad and content blockers and how they can negatively impact mobile shopping experiences this holiday season.

Last year, the National Retail Federation reported that while the majority (40.9%) of Halloween celebrants begin shopping in the first two weeks of October, a small number (6.4%) of enthusiasts actually begin before September.

56% of shoppers are expecting retailers to make holiday shopping more personalized and convenient, both online and in-store this holiday season. And more than half of the holiday shoppers expect retailers to base those personalizations on past purchases and online behavior.

As a personal promoter of female leaders, I was intrigued to find a very unexpected, content driven email from The Limited in my inbox today.

Because an eComm welcome series typically enjoys a spectacular conversion rate, you should remember that the key content objective to greet new subscribers and nurture them down the sales funnel into the wonderful world of customerdom.

Retailers need to do everything they can to engage and re-engage subscribers with every email deployment. It’s no longer enough to send the same message to everyone.

International Military Antiques implemented Listrak’s Personalization Engine in October of 2014. Its onsite recommendations account for 36% of IMA’s e-commerce sales while its email recommendations make up nearly 30% of all email revenue. IMA is seeing a 67.4x ROI from product recommendations alone.

Recently the Marketing Team at Listrak took a road trip to King of Prussia Mall, the nation’s second largest mall, which features a diverse mix of more than 400 stores, including an array of upscale department stores and luxury brands.