(July 2, 2015) When a
customer shops in a clothing store, a sales associate may learn more about what
the customer wants by initiating a conversation, or he or she may recommend
pieces to complete an ensemble. To provide more personalized services, a store
may create a brief record of its regular customers.
A new study from The University of Texas at Dallas finds
that a retail store should share these customer service experiences with other
units in the same chain to have more innovative behavior in its own store.
“Innovation is important because when companies compete,
they compete for customers,” said Dr. Eric Tsang, Dallas World Salute
Distinguished Professor in Global Strategy and author of the study. “Customers
look at not only the quality of the product or service, but also sometimes they
want to have some novel things, maybe some new ideas from the company.”