Digital Innovation

Was it a rough year for many individual retailers? No doubt. We saw too many organizations close their doors in the past year-plus. However, as a whole, brick-and-mortar retail is booming. Total retail sales rose by 6.9 percent in 2020 compared with 2019, per the U.S. Department of Commerce (via The Balance). The final take…

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been varied across industries, but the way it has shaken up the retail industry draws few parallels. Lockdowns and movement restrictions brought business in physical stores to a trickle and led to changes in buying patterns and consumer preferences almost overnight. Retailers that relied primarily on in-store experiences…

There’s no doubt that the retail industry has transformed dramatically in the last year. As we look back, it's apparent that those retailers that invested heavily in digital were better equipped to weather the pandemic storm than those that did not. The U.S. grocery sector, a sector that historically lagged behind in digital adoption, was…

In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Vic Drabicky, founder and CEO of January Digital, the digital leadership company. Drabicky discusses what makes January Digital unique, the company's work with various clients such as The Honest Company, and his thoughts on where the retail industry is today as a result of…

Retailers are two years away from the most pivotal acceleration of digital innovation they’ve ever seen. Some realize it; many do not. A rare confluence of groundbreaking technologies — 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), voice, low-code, and blockchain — continue to advance at an incredible…

After a year of social distancing, quarantines, and Zoom calls, it's no wonder people are yearning for human contact and physical experiences more than ever. In fact, 25 percent of online shoppers agree that online shopping is less satisfying than visiting a brick-and-mortar store, according to Kantar’s COVID-19 Barometer. However, the brands that thrive moving…

COVID-19 is the ultimate change agent, and implications have hyperaccelerated shifting consumer behaviors, catching brands unprepared. In 2021, marketers must implement digital innovations to drive commerce now and into the future. Here are three consumer-centric digital commerce disruptions brands must pay attention to for revenue generation and fostering loyalty. Evolving Consumer Attitudes Are Fueling Flexible…

2020 might have seemed like a year of forced innovation for retailers. But in truth, many were already experimenting with new channels and customer experiences before coronavirus entered the picture. What changed last year was widespread demand and fast-paced adoption. Suddenly these experiments with customer experience — grab-and-go, BOPIS, contactless payments, dark stores — were…

A little more than one year ago, COVID-19 presented itself as an unlikely disruptor for retailers. Government safety measures changed the retail landscape seemingly overnight, and in doing so, forced a shift in customer needs and shopping behaviors. The past 12-plus months saw the accelerated adoption of long-predicted technology needs that enabled many retailers to…

Nordstrom announced last month the launch of Livestream Shopping. This new shopping channel will give customers real-time access to Nordstrom employees and brand partners as well as experts in the beauty, fashion and home categories. During these shopping events, customers can seamlessly shop the products they see and ask questions via live chat of the experts hosting the…