Technology

NRF 2024: AI, Digital Stores, Flexibility and Other Trends Dominating Retail’s Big Show
January 23, 2024 at 10:01 am

Artificial intelligence took center stage at the National Retail Federation's annual Big Show held in New York City last week. Some 40,000 attendees and retailers from across the globe swarmed the Javits Center to explore AI-focused technologies and other innovations tailored to their current requirements, opening doors to new possibilities. RFID Has Come a Long…

Foundational Retail and the Return of the Store Headline NRF Big Show Trends
January 22, 2024 at 11:45 am

With over 40,000 people, 6,200 brands, 100 countries represented, and over 1,000 exhibitors, retail’s Big Show lived up to its name this year and artificial intelligence was the headlining topic. However, while AI dominated the content sessions at NRF, the real conversations were happening in the breakout rooms and on the expo floor, and attendees…

E-Commerce in 2024: 5 Tech Trends Defining the Digital Landscape
January 18, 2024 at 12:27 pm

If 2023 marked brands' initial steps into integrating generative artificial intelligence into their e-commerce strategies, 2024 is set to witness its explosive growth. There's palpable anticipation as conversational commerce gears up — and not just for major industry players, but gradually becoming accessible to brands of all sizes. Consider conversational commerce and dynamic personalization. These…

Holiday Shopping With Gen AI. Here’s How I Fared
January 17, 2024 at 9:48 pm

It comes with the cold and the falling leaves: The mounting horror that time is running out. It was already December and I hadn’t thought once about Christmas presents. I'm not an especially talented gift-giver, and my family doesn't have easily satisfied tastes. Every year I find myself daydreaming about a polite, hypercompetent professional who…

How Lowe's is Prioritizing Omnichannel Investments
January 17, 2024 at 8:06 pm

Seemantini Godbole, executive vice president, chief digital and information officer, joined Lowe's in 2018. In a discussion this week at NRF's 2024 Big Show with Scott Rankin, principal and global head of strategy at KPMG, Godbole said when she was brought into the company, "there was a lot of things to be desired from a…

Generative AI: Gaining a Competitive Edge in E-Commerce
January 16, 2024 at 1:00 pm

While e-commerce adoption accelerated in the last three years — with nearly three-quarters of Americans (73 percent) now shopping online multiple times a month — e-commerce has become much more competitive. One strategy brands should consider to differentiate is to offer a seamless, enjoyable and personalized shopping experience, enabled by generative artificial intelligence. E-commerce leaders…

How Walmart is Embracing AI
January 15, 2024 at 1:32 pm

Artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling Walmart to move from being an omnichannel retailer to an adaptive one, at least according to Anshu Bhardwaj, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Walmart Global Technology and Walmart Commerce Technologies, who spoke at a session during the National Retail Federation Big Show in New York City earlier…

Retail Trends for 2024: Store Automation and Doubling Down on Sustainability
January 11, 2024 at 2:30 pm

The bar for the customer experience is continually being raised and 2024 is set to be no exception as the competition between retailers gets tougher. Organizations will need to ensure they keep up-to-date with the latest shopping trends to meet the demands of the omnichannel experience, particularly with technologies like artificial intelligence on the rise.…

New Survey Data Highlights How AI is Poised to Conquer Retailers’ Toughest CX Challenges in 2024
January 10, 2024 at 11:25 am

Nearly one year has passed since new generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities burst onto the scene and sparked the latest AI hype wave. Since then, businesses have envisioned how AI could help them cut costs, increase efficiency, and improve experiences for customers and employees. Yet, the palpable excitement for AI’s potential has been tempered by…

How Streamlining Operations Can Generate a Competitive Edge
January 9, 2024 at 7:10 pm

Competition plays a huge factor in the retail industry. Operating in a highly saturated market, retailers must constantly work towards meeting their customers’ expectations quickly while providing a high-quality experience. With price and convenience being the two biggest factors affecting consumer purchase decisions, retailers must find ways to keep costs down while continuing to streamline…