Technology

GlassesUSA.com's Vision for Future Growth Includes Tech, Omnichannel
July 10, 2023 at 5:38 pm

In episode 409 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Eldad Rothman, co-founder and chief operating officer of GlassesUSA.com, an independent online eyewear brand. Rothman provides an overview of the direct-to-consumer brand (1:00), the inspiration that led him and his co-founders to start the business (2:00), and the growth potential for GlassesUSA.com in the…

Where Generative AI Fits Into Your Retail CX
July 5, 2023 at 1:11 pm

Right now, generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, like ChatGPT, are all the buzz — making many retailers wonder: How can this technology be used to improve the customer experience? The use cases for AI in the CX retail experience are many. AI is especially good serving customers online by responding to simple questions quickly and…

How Saas is Revolutionizing Retail
June 29, 2023 at 9:24 am

Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms provide an unparalleled ability to increase connectivity amongst employees, which has already had a huge impact on the retail industry. More connectivity allows different teams — from the corporate level all the way to the sales people on the floor — to communicate seamlessly. This is not only better…

How Direct-to-Consumer Brands and Retailers Can Fix These 4 Costly Inefficiencies
June 22, 2023 at 12:08 pm

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands and legacy retailers are looking to increase profitability, and they can do so by improving operational processes and reducing inefficiencies. Focusing on profitability should, in theory, always be the case, but it is especially true today as economic headwinds have retail executives focused on operational cost-savings more than growth. DTC brands are…

How Retailers Can Avoid Generative AI Failures in Customer Service
June 22, 2023 at 9:08 am

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become the technology to watch, and major retailers are starting to leverage this breakthrough new tech. Insider Intelligence reports that Walmart is using generative AI for its “Text to Shop,” which lets customers add items to their shopping cart by texting or speaking the item they’d like to purchase. Instacart is…

Amplifying the Food Retail Value Chain With IoT-Enabled Connectivity
June 21, 2023 at 1:39 pm

The integrated use of IoT sensing and monitoring devices across the food retail supply chain has opened a myriad of new opportunities for organizations to minimize loss and enhance operational agility – both of which were strenuous pain points in the past. Connectivity is worth its weight in gold in an era of uncertainty where…

AI’s Reach Into E-Commerce Has Only Just Begun
June 20, 2023 at 2:44 pm

The last five years have witnessed a massive evolution of e-commerce, accelerated by factors like the pandemic, which created a surge of online shoppers, and advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) that have improved the online shopping experience. The quickly scaling use of AI is changing the game in online retail, so much…

Leveraging Fintech to Improve Employee Experience and Retention
June 20, 2023 at 10:16 am

When many brick-and-mortar retailers closed their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting operational costs, including payroll, was a primary concern for business owners. Three years later, the retail sector is facing a very different set of challenges. Last quarter, the retail sector’s growth rate outstripped pre-pandemic levels. While that’s a positive trend for retail overall,…

AI in Retail: The Past, Present and Future
June 20, 2023 at 10:04 am

Automation in retail was introduced many decades ago – from mass manufacturing to point of sale (POS) systems to next-day delivery, companies have been moving at the speed of light to meet growing consumer demand and expectations. And while artificial intelligence has existed since as early as the 1940s, November 2023 will go down in…

Amazon Tests Using AI to Summarize Product Reviews
June 14, 2023 at 5:10 pm

Amazon.com is experimenting with using artificial intelligence (AI) to sum up customer feedback about products on the site, with the potential to cut down on the time shoppers spend sifting through reviews before making a purchase. On the Amazon product page for Apple’s third-generation AirPods, for example, the AI feature now sums up the more than…