Technology

While retailers have been grappling with reverse logistics challenges for years, the current global supply chain disruption and ensuing logistics chaos are shining a spotlight on the issue. The pandemic shifted consumer spending away from service-based expenditures (e.g., restaurants, travel) and towards the purchase of goods. As a result, the e-commerce market skyrocketed — and…

We live in an increasingly digital world, where technology helps us complete tasks of all kinds throughout the day. With this in mind, it would be easy to think that the procedure of scanning and processing coupons in grocery stores, restaurants, department stores and other retail outlets would be one that's streamlined with technology. Surprisingly,…

Walmart and its big-box warehouse subsidiary Sam’s Club are suing rival retailer BJ’s Wholesale Club, accusing BJ's of stealing technology that powers a popular self-checkout option in the Sam’s Club mobile app. The lawsuit, filed in federal court this week, claims Walmart worked for years to develop Scan & Go, a feature that lets Sam’s Club…

Prior to 2020, the gradual shift from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce shopping had already begun. The pandemic, however, accelerated this shift as more consumers elected to shop online. The U.S. e-commerce forecast had online sales growing by double digits — 17.9 percent year-over-year — in 2021. Online sales were forecast to reach $933.30 billion last year, accounting for…

The interactive voice response (IVR) system has been with us for the better part of a century, with its origins dating back to the 1930s. Today’s IVRs do more than let consumers complete a range of routine tasks like checking product availability or store hours. Where brands have embraced conversational artificial intelligence (AI), they’ve found…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Marie Albiges and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published by Total Retail titled “How Brands Can Capture Consumers in the Metaverse,” authored by Neha Singh, CEO and founder of Obsess. The emerging metaverse is a growing focus for brands as it undoubtedly poses huge opportunities for…

Before the world shut down in early 2020, it was clear that Reliable Parts needed to transform its business to meet new customer demands across new markets. We're an appliance parts distributor that has grown through the acquisition of dozens of mom-and-pop stores across the U.S. and Canada. Due to these acquisitions, our IT systems…

Walmart announced Tuesday it's making a significant commitment to expanding its global technology operation. The Walmart Global Tech (WGT) division is adding hubs in Toronto and Atlanta, and also plans to hire more than 5,000 technology associates globally during fiscal 2022. According to the company, Atlanta and Toronto have been chosen as its newest tech…

In 2022, gaining customer confidence and business will require proactivity and transparency from retailers. Proving sustainability efforts (as well as environmental, social and governance credentials), finding ways to solve supply chain issues, and communicating brand loyalty will top every retailer’s checklist this year. There won’t be any slowdown of competition. In fact, there will be…

In a world of struggling supply chains and pandemic fatigue, providing an unparalleled digital customer experience (CX) is more important than ever. Improving CX became a top five initiative for 54 percent of marketing organizations during the pandemic, particularly in the retail sector, with CX budgets increasing by 10 percent on average since the early…