Technology

Google has launched Shopping Insights, a tool that lets retailers see product search trends across the U.S. By harnessing its massive trove of shopping intent data – i.e., information that shows what kinds of products consumers have researched, and from where – Google hopes retailers will be able to better plan marketing strategies and where to stock…

At retail companies still using outdated scheduling processes, managers know the pain of perfecting employee schedules all too well. To devise an optimal workforce schedule, managers must accommodate shift preferences, employee availability and in-store demand. However, it’s near impossible to meet everyone’s needs and preferences when using outdated, manual methods. Though traditional scheduling practices (i.e.,…

Target Corp. is on the prowl for the next great retail startups. It's becoming the first partner in the Twin Cities for Techstars, a company that's developed an impressive track record in several other U.S. cities of helping tech startups grow into thriving firms. Techstars will set up an office for the next three years in the…

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is about to see if investors are willing to stick it out as it embarks on one of the biggest transformations in its history. Wal-Mart’s plan to invest heavily in technology at the cost of precious earnings per share served as a bombshell for Wall Street, triggering the biggest-ever price decline on Wednesday.…

Sears Holding Corp. has acquired the WallyHome sensor technology from Seattle startup SNUPI Technologies. With the deal, Sears is also establishing a second Seattle technology office in less than a year, this one on the University of Washington campus. The deal gives Sears technology that can sense changes in moisture, temperature and humidity, alerting property owners to…

Imagine a trip to Kroger where your grocery list tells you where the nearest item is — and sends you an alert if you accidentally pass it by on the shelf. Next, you need a small item like a spice, and just as you approach the crowded rack the shelf lights up right under the whole…

When it comes to making a purchase, consumers want to be able to easily access detailed product information both online and in-store, and they want to use technology to make this happen. While consumers have been accessing product information online for more than a decade, PowerReviews found that around 70 percent of shoppers want access…

Amazon.com is scheduled to announce today that it plans to build a technology hub in downtown Detroit with the creation of more full-time technology jobs. As part of its announcement, Amazon said it's donating $10,000 and 30 Amazon Fire tablets to the Carver STEM Academy program in the Detroit Public Schools. The academy offers students in…

Getting a prescription filled at Walgreens has been taking a lot longer than usual this week due to an ongoing outage of the drugstore chain's pharmacy computer database. Pharmacists have been filling prescriptions manually since the system went down Tuesday morning, causing delays for customers at all 8,200 Walgreens drugstores across the U.S.  

Nearly a year after its opening, Rebecca Minkoff’s flagship store in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood is a hotbed of consumer data. The “connected store,” which is the first of three to open in the U.S., has given the designer brand some key takeaways: the team can find out which items are taken into the…