Augmented Reality

Merchants and brands say they’re entering the metaverse by releasing non-fungible token (NFT) projects or buying land in virtual worlds like The Sandbox and Decentraland. The reality is neither brands nor NFT owners are in the metaverse because it hasn’t been built. They're exploring digital worlds, sure, but we can't have multiple "metaverses." And as…

Retail has dramatically changed since the pandemic began. The numbers of consumers visiting real-life shops dropped significantly because of the COVID-19 outbreak. To compensate for the decline in revenue, many companies made the move online. According to experts, by 2023, e-commerce will account for more than $6.5 trillion in sales, representing 22 percent of all global…

A lot has changed when it comes to shopping over the last 18 months. Shopping in-store is still an option, but we know more consumers are turning to online shopping (70 percent of U.S. adults have purchased something online in the last month). Retailers are adapting to the ever-growing e-commerce boom and are investing in…

When thinking of the 2020 holiday season, “normal” is likely the last word that comes to mind for many retailers. Instead, they might think of the last holiday season as “resilient” or “historic.” E -commerce surged then and now, and as another unique holiday season approaches, pair that uniqueness with much improved consumer optimism. Despite…

The coronavirus has brought forward two significant trends in retail. One is to have a more integrated approach to omnichannel retail, and the other is to re-invigorate brick-and-mortar stores. The dramatic changes in how people have shopped over the past 18 months mean that neither trend will end any time soon. Consumers have become familiar with…

The brick-and-mortar bounce-back is upon us. After a year of pandemic-related lockdowns, store closures, and social distancing precautions, foot traffic to leading grocery stores came roaring back in the second quarter, with some even reaching pre-pandemic levels. And with more states and localities easing COVID-19 restrictions in recent weeks, signs of a “return to normalcy”…

When it comes to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), consumers’ minds oftentimes go to the esoteric musing of Stephen King, sci-fi movies and even video games. However, over the past few years, these technologies have expanded beyond futuristic settings and landed a bit closer to Earth — straight into the e-commerce world. Now,…

More than a decade ago, Forbes proclaimed "The QR Code is dead. Long live the QR Code!" which feels even more relevant today, if you can believe it. Over the years, marketers have had an on-again, off-again love affair with these two-dimensional codes. What was once seen as a way to connect the digital and…

The pandemic was a reset for e-commerce as consumers turned to online shopping in droves, including demographics that were previously reluctant to buy online. However, online sales growth came with a steep drawback. U.S. customers spent a staggering $565 billion online in 2020, but approximately $102 billion of the merchandise was returned. Online returns more…

The race continues between the world’s largest tech leaders and companies to see which one will prevail and power the next generation of tools, technologies and resources for manufacturing, healthcare, construction, and many other vertical market applications. These companies have been working tirelessly to create changes that will make a significant impact on our world.…