Technology

Visualitee has launched the first website dedicated solely to selling augmented reality (AR)-enabled apparel and merchandise. The new e-commerce site, Visualitee.com, is headed by a seasoned group of augmented reality professionals and will offer the most comprehensive collection of AR-enabled merchandise. In addition to carrying a wide variety of AR merchandise, the site will also facilitate independent artists and labels to venture into the quickly growing AR segment. AR enables inanimate objects such as T-shirts to "come to life" with a simple 1-2-3 process. 

eBay is opening a New York City office that will focus on advanced technical development. Chris Dixon, co-founder of Hunch, which eBay acquired in late 2011, will head the eBay Technology Center of Excellence. The New York office will feature a large public event area and dedicated space for startup and entrepreneur incubation. The office will also include a permanent installation called the PayPal Shopping Showcase that will "offer a look at the not-too-distant-future, when how we shop will have changed dramatically from our experience today."

Ditto has raised $3 million from August Capital and other individual investors to continue developing its 3-D technology. The e-commerce site uses 3-D to allow shoppers to virtually try on glasses before they decide to buy them. To do so, visitors must record a short video of themselves to create a 3-D image, which they call a Ditto. The image is a little spooky, but it does do a good job of deciphering whether a pair of Ray-Bans would look better on your face. The company plans to use the capital to develop its technology and add to its team.

Giving a new meaning to the phrase ‘window shopping, Bloomingdale's has replaced its traditional window displays with interactive sunglasses shops. Now, instead of merely looking at sunglasses in a window, passerbys can virtually try them on.

One of the biggest trends in fashion these days has nothing to do with floral prints, pastels, lace, neon or outrageous nail art. While those loom large on many a shopper's spring and summer wish lists, it's technology that's sweeping across the industry faster than peplum tops and orange lipstick. Everywhere you turn, there's a new app, social shopping site or chance to share your favorite items with, well, anyone willing to pay attention to your tweets, pins, posts or status updates. Check out five high-tech fashion retail trends to watch. 

Amazon.com added a new option for sellers who wish to contact buyers about negative feedback. The "Resolve" feedback button in Feedback Manager allows sellers to email buyers directly to begin resolving any problems with an order. The button is available only when a buyer posts a feedback rating of one or two stars. "If you receive negative buyer feedback, it is important to quickly determine the cause of the problem and work toward resolving it with the buyer," the company said in its announcement to sellers. 

With site speed playing such an important role in time spent on site, conversion rate and ultimately revenue, online retailers need affordable and reliable CDNs that guarantee significant site performance gains. Taking the time to evaluate CDN technologies and costs helps ensure a great customer experience, whether on a slow traffic weekday or during a product launch that drives iPad announcement traffic levels.

So you're looking through Google Analytics and notice that you're losing some remarketing visitors on the shopping cart page. Or maybe you rarely or never have repeat customers and don't want to serve ads to people who already purchased. How can you tailor your remarketing strategy keeping those issues in mind? Custom combinations allow marketers to combine remarketing lists to reach a more targeted audience.

Back in February of last year when Sears Holdings named Lou D'Ambrosio as its new chief executive, it was clear that the decision was made because of his background in technology. 

Retailers have countless opportunities to creatively reach consumers through mobile devices — and it's not just limited to smartphone users. One-hundred percent of all mobile phones receive text messages, which means retailers can effectively reach customers and prospects to engage them on a personal basis. Consumers expect instant gratification in their multichannel interactions with retailers. There are many more social ADD consumers that would rather text than talk; they're very comfortable using mobile devices to buy things online.