For years, companies have been seeking to find and use a simple way to quantify customer loyalty. One example is Net Promoter Score (NPS), which identifies three customer categories: promoters, passives and detractors. Keeping things simple, both for the customer and the company, is a big advantage of NPS and similar models. Asking a single question, such as "how likely are you to recommend our company to your friends," can help identify which of your customers are your brand promoters, passives and detractors.

I have a new car, and I took my baby in for its first oil change and "once-over" at the dealership that's close to my office. It's not where I bought the car but it is convenient to me for servicing, with a fab wifi lounge and coffee bar so I can get some work done while my hot tamale gets a checkup.

With all the most recent bells and whistles, with all the new gadgets and trends, online retail marketing is still about two fundamentals.

How many vendor emails did you receive this morning? How many messages are filling your voicemail? Sometimes someone will get lucky and catch you at the right time, but more often than not, you'll research companies and contact them on your terms when your business requires service.