Digital Innovation

In episode 344 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Scott Saeger, senior vice president, chief information officer and chief technology officer at GNC, a trusted leader in clinically studied dietary supplements for weight loss, strength and performance. Saeger discusses GNC's recent launch of Amazon Alexa voice ordering capabilities, including how consumers can utilize…

Young brands led by tech-savvy, marketing-aware entrepreneurs are snapping at the heels of established, more traditionally led brands, and their growth illustrates the success of their model. Emerging as “blands,” these B-to-C businesses are disrupting the e-commerce market by focusing on a holistic and true multichannel experience for customers. What are blands? In a recent…

During Shoptalk 2022 in Las Vegas last week, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviewed Antonino Guichard, chief digital officer of Liverpool, the leading department store chain in Mexico. In this video, Guichard discusses some of the challenges Liverpool has faced in growing its e-commerce business, as well as how the retailer's customers' behaviors have shifted as a result of some…

In a session last month at Shoptalk 2022 in Las Vegas, executives from Kroger and Nordstrom discussed the new technologies and business models their companies have embraced to succeed during retail's rapid transformation.  Ken Worzel, Nordstrom's chief operating officer, and Yael Cosset, The Kroger Co.'s senior vice president and chief information officer, agreed the past two years presented…

A little over a year ago, McKinsey announced that COVID-19 crammed 10 years worth of expected growth in e-commerce into just 90 days (a claim I think is open for debate). While the world focused on e-commerce, spectacular growth was actually occurring in another part of the market: Web 3.0. It’s fair to say that…

In episode 343 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Brian Beitler, chief marketing officer of QVC U.S. and HSN, part of Qurate Retail Group. Listen in as Beitler discusses how QVC is incorporating new livestream shopping tools to enhance the customer experience, why he believes consumer adoption of livestream shopping is rising, and…

It feels like the ongoing non-fungible token (NFT) boom has touched every industry. Whether it’s in the auto, real estate, media, retail, sports or entertainment sector, brands of all types are racing to join the NFT party. Where NFTs fit in sports or gaming is fairly intuitive, as those industries have long cherished collectibles and…

In a session earlier this week at Shoptalk 2022 in Las Vegas, Sam's Club CEO Kath McLay detailed how the retailer is delivering better experiences for its members across both physical and digital channels. Sam's Club, the warehouse club owned by Walmart, has posted an impressive 27 percent growth in its e-commerce business over the…

The metaverse is here. In fact, it has been for quite some time. While most of us may have just learned of the term “metaverse,” those born in 1997 and after (Gen Z and Alpha) have grown up with it. For them, the idea of interacting, learning, conversing and even buying in a virtual universe…

Following Facebook, Inc.’s name change to Meta Platforms, Inc. and Microsoft’s acquisition of video game holding company Activision Blizzard, the metaverse — i.e., the 3D virtual universe users navigate with individualized avatars to play games, socialize, learn, and attend events — undoubtedly poses huge opportunities for businesses. But what does this connected world mean for…