Digital Innovation

Changing the Narrative: Setting the Stage for Retail Recovery, Part I
July 21, 2020 at 12:37 pm

At the start of 2020, the biggest challenges for the retail industry were issues such as market saturation, finding new ways for old and aging brands to stay relevant, and the impact of new technologies and innovations. No one anticipated the greatest challenge of 2020 — and beyond — would be a pandemic that shut…

New Feature Lets Consumers Shop for Groceries From Yahoo Mail
July 20, 2020 at 4:10 pm

Verizon Media today announced the launch of Groceries from Walmart, a Yahoo Mail feature that enables users to browse, add to cart, and purchase essential groceries from Walmart within Yahoo Mail. According to Verizon Media, this is the first time that email users can fill a shopping cart from their inbox, streamlining their shopping experience from…

Why Infrastructure Modernization is Essential to Operational Efficiency
July 16, 2020 at 7:27 pm

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Ashley Chiaradio and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published on Total Retail titled, “Retail Modernization: Unlocking Actionable Insights,” authored by Valentyn Kropov and Jessica Bricker of digital consultancy SoftServe. This article examines how retailers can increase operational efficiency by turning data into actionable insights. They…

Using Agile Principles to Re-Open and Recover Your Retail Business
July 16, 2020 at 5:24 pm

Retailers across the country have started to reopen their storefronts, clearing the path for recovery from the devastating global pandemic. While the coronavirus has sparked uncertainty in retailers’ futures, it has also brought about new ways of working in retail. These new ways are largely rooted in pre-pandemic trends that have accelerated — e.g., the…

Amazon to Launch Smart Shopping Carts in New Grocery Stores
July 14, 2020 at 4:06 pm

Amazon.com is launching shopping carts that track items as shoppers add them, reports CNBC. The Amazon Dash Carts automatically charge customers when they remove their grocery bags, allowing them to skip the checkout line. These smart shopping carts will roll out at Amazon’s new Los Angeles-area grocery store, which is slated to open this year, the company…

Fine-Tuning Retail Digital Transformation: Starting From the Inside Out
July 10, 2020 at 2:14 pm

Digital transformation has become an inescapable mandate across all industries, especially retail. Providing consumers with an excellent online shopping experience and going beyond their expectations are critical measures of a retailer’s success. Customers’ demands are constantly changing, and retailers’ digital transformation efforts must reflect this as always-on, not a one-and-done process. Nonetheless, we're still seeing…

Retail Modernization: Unlocking Actionable Insights
July 9, 2020 at 5:21 pm

Disparate systems and siloed data make it nearly impossible for retailers to effectively run analytics that provide insight into the business and its customers. Modernizing legacy infrastructures and moving data to a centralized location within a cloud platform lets retailers reduce IT spend (from costly maintenance), leverage advanced technologies to transform structured data into actionable…

Palmaz Vineyards Connects With Customers Through Live Video
June 28, 2020 at 9:41 am

In episode 253 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Christian Palmaz, co-founder of Palmaz Vineyards, a family-owned and operated winery located in Napa Valley that practices a unique form of gravity-flow wine making. Listen in as Palmaz discusses the vineyard's history and his role at the company, how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted…

The Alchemy of Innovation: 4 Ways to Foster Innovation in 2020
June 15, 2020 at 8:51 pm

Companies of every size are looking for that magic equation that drives innovation and provides true value to the consumer. There is, of course, no simple answer, and in the new reality during and after COVID-19, it might be even less clear. However, based on my experience working with brands of all stripes and sizes…

Turn Window Shoppers Into Loyal Customers With Digital
June 8, 2020 at 5:29 pm

The digital era hasn’t just transformed a business’ back end; it has revolutionized the customer journey. More and more consumers have embraced digitally native communication channels that weren’t available in the aughts. From text and social messaging, to chatbots and virtual agents, customers now demand that their favorite retailers meet them across their favorite digital…