Technology

In the short history of fashion e-commerce, Modcloth is something of a dinosaur. Launched in 2002 in Pittsburgh, the site quickly endeared itself to a hip young clientele with a range of affordable, vintage-inspired clothing swinging toward tween. For context, Net-a-Porter left mouths agape when it took a gamble on selling luxury online in 2000. Like we said: a dinosaur. But ModCloth has taken pains to stay nimble, and its tech team has been cooking up a storm lately, regularly rolling out new features to add a little something extra to its e-commerce experience.

Zappos and training app MapMyFitness are teaming up to ensure runners are never logging miles on worn-out shoes. The two companies announced last week a new feature called Gear Tracker in the MapMyFitness app for Apple iOS users. The feature lets users estimate when their shoes are too worn to run in and then gives them the option of buying a new pair of shoes directly from the fitness tracking app. The companies expect to bring the same feature to Google's Android before the end of the year.

To help retailers make the migration to a new e-commerce platform as seamless (and painless) as possible, a panel of retail technology experts — Jason Allerding, information systems manager for Parts Express; Pinny Gniswich, executive vice president of business development at Delmar Jewelry; and Vivek Saxena, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of e-commerce, VISAX — offered their tips in a session this week at the eTail East conference in Philadelphia.

Omnichannel commerce has turned the controlled linear retail supply chain upside down and inside out, shining a spotlight on retailers’ strengths and weaknesses and exposing the limitations of today's supply chain. The need for inventory visibility is critical. RFID (radio frequency identification) isn't a new concept, but omnichannel retailing has given RFID adoption a new sense of urgency. From the consumer's perspective, they're expecting an "always open, always on" shopping experience, and RFID is the critical enabler that allows 24/7 networkwide inventory accuracy.

Beacon marketing firm Shelfbucks announced that it's finalized an agreement with GameStop to deploy its beacon-based solution in the company's retail locations. The company said the agreement represents one of the retail industry's largest beacon platform solution deployments. Under the agreement, Shelfbucks will roll out its platform to GameStop stores in test markets, including Austin and College Station, Texas, beginning in August. "As part of GameStop's plan to enrich its in-store customer experience, our focus is on enhancing consumer interaction through the use of innovative technologies and business solutions," said Charlie Larkin, senior director of the GameStop Technology Institute.

The merging of retail and technology has led to the two sides poaching each other's talent. This commonly leads to companies gobbling up entire startups, as was demonstrated yesterday by Wal-Mart's tech team, @WalmartLabs, acquiring Luvocracy, a three-year-old firm and an online community of half-a-million members that allows consumers to discover and buy products recommended by other people, from their own friends and family to bloggers and other influencers. Sixteen Luvocracy employees are slated to join @WalmartLabs as part of the acquisition. Company spokesman Bao Nguyen told MarketWatch that Wal-Mart doesn't plan to integrate Luvocracy's technology into Walmart.com.

Amazon.com has launched a new store for 3-D-printed goods, which include items that can be customized to change their size, color, material and even aspects of their design. The store covers a range of types of products, including jewelry, electronics, toys and games, home decor, and kitchen supplies, and items are supplied by a number of partners including Mixee, Scupteo and 3DLT. Amazon is touting this as the debut of a new way for the e-commerce giant to offer even more specialized inventory that can better cater to specific customer tastes. 

Two months ago, former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts assumed her much buzzed-about position as Apple's new Senior Vice President of Retail. The 54-year-old fashion executive moved to the tech giant after filling her resume with brands like DKNY andHenri Bendel. Taking to her LinkedIn Page to update the world about her first few weeks on the job, Ahrendts noted, "Silicon Valley can feel like a country unto itself!" While Ahrendts might seem like a fish out of water jumping from one exclusive world to another, she's just one of sever

On July 14, Home Depot and MakerBot, global leader in 3D printing industry, announced a partnership, introducing innovative, high-quality 3D printers to the DYI retail environment.  Home Depot is supplying 12 stores in California, Illinois, and New York with

In the not too distant future, 3-D printers may provide the public with anything from a whole new wardrobe to meat to furniture — and even human organs. We aren't there yet, but a few major retailers and brands, eager to keep pace with a potentially game-changing technology and generate a bit of marketing buzz, have begun to explore this 3-D world. One of those early experimenters is Hasbro, which plans to announce on Monday a partnership with 3-D printing company Shapeways to sell fan art inspired by its long-lasting toy line My Little Pony.