Technology

Retailers have been under excruciating pressure as inflation, supply chain woes, and recession threatens consumer spending, impacting their bottom line. As a result, many are leaning into promotional sales periods as a way to push inventory to consumers, ensuring they receive a portion of the limited discretionary spending. With the back-to-school shopping season underway on…

When successful larger businesses run into operational stumbling blocks, they're often tempted by enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Meanwhile, brands on a smaller budget often turn to "single point" solutions to overhaul their operations cheaply and easily. These solutions include order management systems (OMS) and warehouse management systems (WMS). Implementing an ERP system, or even…

How retail brands handle the influx of customer support inquiries during another record-shattering back-to-school (BTS) season will make or break Q3 and beyond. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), BTS spending will match 2021’s record high of $37 billion. You may be thinking, it’s August, it’s too late, school is back in session. However,…

Brick-and-mortar retail is in a technology boom. While innovations like self-checkout, mobile apps, and digital kiosks were already popping up in stores, the pandemic only accelerated the adoption of new technologies to connect with customers and keep them safe. Despite focusing on face-to-face interactions and physical products, brick-and-mortar retail’s past is filled with technological innovation…

Retail headlines were grim these past few years, from supply chain woes and unfilled jobs to mounting inflation and spiking demands for faster delivery. However, as the adage goes, these hard times may make stronger retailers — many have already taken an honest assessment and made efforts to innovate their legacy systems and strategies. Perhaps the most…

No one likes paying for backup. Obviously, retailers need it. Businesses today operate on data, and without it, commerce grinds to a halt. But it’s painful to spend money on something that you hope you never have to use. The value is all tied up with the nasty what-if of corrupted data, a fire, a…

Ulta Beauty has become the latest retailer to launch a venture capital arm after announcing a new digital innovation fund Wednesday. The fund, called Prisma Ventures, earmarks $20 million for digital innovation in beauty, according to a company press release. The fund will invest in emerging technology startups that "seek to shape future online and in-store…

In 2022, the blueprint to retail success is evolving before our eyes. The ripple effects of a two-year global pandemic coupled with rapid accelerations in digital transformation have shifted the paradigm for consumer expectations. Now more than ever, customers desire seamless and personalized experiences at every touchpoint of their buyer’s journey. Whether it’s in-store, on…

The last three years have brought an explosion of new technology into retail spaces. Electronic shelf labels, virtual mirrors, and self-checkout are just a few ways brick-and-mortar stores are digitizing the retail experience. Retailers are confident delivering a highly personalized, zero-friction experience in a physical setting can improve the shopping experience and help them reclaim…

The past few years have been challenging for retail brands, which are adapting to external market forces like the pandemic and evolving in response to shifting customer expectations. It’s also an exciting time, and many brand marketers are experimenting with new ways to meet people where they are — increasingly in the metaverse and other…