In-Store Technology

In episode 125 of Total Retail Talks, Chad McIntosh, vice president of asset protection and risk management at Bloomingdale's, shares how the upscale department store chain is using gamified learning technology to help store employees minimize safety incidents and theft, saving it millions in the process.

While the debate will continue around businesses’ expectations of virtual reality's potential vs. the realities of consumer adoption, VR has gone ahead and found a growing number of ways to make business and industry more efficient, more effective and better connected to its customers. And not always in the most obvious ways. Take VR retail…

While the debate will continue around businesses’ expectations of virtual reality’s potential vs. the realities of consumer adoption, VR has gone ahead and found a growing number of ways to make business and industry more efficient, more effective and better connected to its customers. And not always in the most obvious ways. Take VR retail […]

Increasing innovation in technology means more disruption, and the retail industry isn't immune. With the online pure-plays continually cutting into the market once dominated by brick-and-mortar, retailers need to come up with new strategies and tactics to compete. One not-so-obvious answer may be to leverage one of the their most unique assets — store associates.…

Some people think retail as we know it is dead. But what if the in-store experience encompassed an immersive video wall, virtual golf swing simulator and intoxicating campfire scents? I’d say it’s a game changer. Sports retailers from Dick's to Bass Pro are reimagining the brick-and-mortar experience and re-evaluating the science behind the consumer journey,…

Technology is already everywhere and is becoming a bigger part of our lives every day. More than 93 percent of American adults under 50 use the internet, and 77 percent of Americans own a smartphone. It’s no wonder that consumers believe online shopping is the future of retail, with 52 percent of global consumers shopping…

What motivates a consumer to walk into a store to make a purchase rather than shop online? Instant gratification? The inspiration that only comes from touch and smell? With 67 percent of the Gen Zs surveyed by IBM and the National Retail Federation preferring to shop in-store vs. 22 percent who favor online, there are tangible…

To really understand the customer journey, you’ve got to take it yourself. That’s why we stepped in consumers’ shoes for our Global Mystery Shopping Study. We walked through eight different shopping scenarios with 50 global brands to learn where they're succeeding and where they’re falling short. As mystery shoppers, our team simulated purchasing products, researched…

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said last week it's rolling out shelf-scanning robots in more than 50 U.S. stores next year, to replenish inventory faster and save employees’ time when products run out. While Wal-Mart has been testing shelf-scanning robots in stores in Arkansas, Pennsylvania and California for the past three years, by the end of January,…

In today’s retail environment, embracing digital transformation isn’t a choice — it’s a requirement. Future-proofing networks is the only way to stay competitive these days, and those not already optimizing the digital journey will be disrupted. Beyond the retail apocalypse headlines — which are misleading, by the way — network inefficiencies affect today’s bottom line, too. Recent…