Technology

Digital technology is forcing retailers to redefine how they market and sell to consumers. That means embracing digital channels like social media and mobile. We've heard the sob stories of retailers like Borders and Circuit City that inevitably failed because they didn't embrace digital fast enough. Digital is a must, both online and offline, and only some retailers are starting to get that. Here are some alarming facts about retail in digital

A store in Australia made headlines earlier this year for charging consumers $5 to just walk through the door. The decision was made following the growth of "showrooming," a familiar concept when a person heads into a physical store to check out merchandise before finding the same product at a cheaper price online. Thanks to free shipping and returns, as well as low or no taxes — hello, Amazon — it makes sense for consumers to do online price comparisons before making a purchase.

One of the more interesting developments to come out of the IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit in Nashville this week, from which I've just returned, is the launch of IBM Watson Engagement Advisor. The "super computer," named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, was designed as a computing system that could rival the human brain's ability to respond to questions posed in natural language with speed, accuracy and confidence.

To manage SKU plans and forecasts across its brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce business, Pier 1 custom built a proprietary planning system tailored to the "unique complexities" of its business and flexible enough to accommodate future growth. When designing the new system, the retailer factored in its six DCs and the various transit times necessary to maintain optimal inventory levels at each, plus ocean transit and vendors' lead times, Michael Benkel, EVP of planning and allocation, said on a recent analyst call.

Some retailers aren't sold on the concept of digital channels being the primary driver of future growth at the expense of stores. But most do see the value of digital channels in driving traffic to stores, and they have some thoughts on which work best once the consumer is actually in the store. Results from RSR Research's "The Relevant Store in the Digital Age" reveals that nearly all retailers see their e-commerce sites as having a lot (58 percent) or some (38 percent) value in driving traffic to stores.

OfficeMax is investing in digital platforms to drive growth through multichannel and omnichannel offerings, company executives said in a recent call with analysts. In this year's first quarter, OfficeMax executed five upgrades on its e-commerce website that improved content and site navigation and streamlined the checkout process, which helped lead to double-digit sales growth, higher conversion rates and increased site traffic, said Ravichandra K. Saligram, OfficeMax's president and CEO, on the analyst call.

Bare Necessities, an online specialty retailer of women's and men's branded and designer intimate apparel and lingerie, has launched an interactive lookbook showcasing Wacoal’s intimates to entice tech-savvy shoppers with smartphones and

Since the birth of e-commerce in the mid-1990s, retailers have wrestled with the issue of sizing. If consumers can't try on a sweater or suit before they buy it, how do they know it will fit? Lack of understanding about size and fit can discourage sales on the consumer side, and when a consumer purchases the wrong size, they're apt to return it. 

The humble cash register, a device that seems sprung from the imagination of an accountant, has become the darling of designers, adding a dash of style to the most ordinary daily transactions. With the advent of tablets, particularly the iPad, many stores have traded in their clunky cash registers for mobile devices. Now, though, they are dressing up those tablets with inventive accessories to make them both more pleasant to look at and more practical for cashiers.Retailers from doughnut shops to department stores are 

As more technologies are being developed to supplement and enhance existing POS systems, it's becoming more important than ever for retailers to determine which types of software and applications are integral to reaching their end goals. While Google's recent emphasis on ecommerce