Technology

Some of retail’s busiest days are coming up fast, and contact centers everywhere are going to be stretched to their breaking point as shoppers log on and call in to ask about offers, seek recommendations, chase packages, and organize returns. Whether it’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday or the first day of January sales, the contact…

In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Eric Best, co-founder and CEO of SoundCommerce, the end-to-end data platform for retail brands. Best discusses his career background in e-commerce that led him to start SoundCommerce, how the technology platform can help retailers, and why the decrease in brand loyalty and increase…

As retailers prepare for yet another pandemic-altered holiday shopping season, there are a higher-than-usual number of uncertainties they must address to best serve their customers and drive sales. The good news is that sophisticated and increasingly accessible technology solutions are making that task easier. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable tool…

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the importance of frontline workers in many industries — especially retail. These employees currently account for 80 percent of the global workforce. Yet, 60 percent of them are unsatisfied with the technology they've been provided with to do their work. Digital transformation is essential as businesses strategize for a strong "return…

Marketing has evolved. Today, the day-to-day roles of marketers require the use of data and technology on a large scale. With that evolution comes the need for greater collaboration between marketing and tech teams. Although both teams are using technology to get their jobs done, their focuses are different and company cultures that once relied…

A lot has changed when it comes to shopping over the last 18 months. Shopping in-store is still an option, but we know more consumers are turning to online shopping (70 percent of U.S. adults have purchased something online in the last month). Retailers are adapting to the ever-growing e-commerce boom and are investing in…

The busy holiday shopping season is already upon us, bringing today’s brands an important opportunity to strengthen relationships with new and existing customers. As increasing numbers of consumers rely on e-commerce to meet their shopping needs while the overtaxed supply chain is simultaneously slowing down order fulfillment, brands are competing to navigate this challenge. As…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published by Total Retail titled, “4 ‘Symptoms’ That Point to a Headless Commerce ‘Cure’,” authored by Cory Cummings, co-founder and CEO of Pack Digital. In an e-commerce world obsessed with customer experience, headless commerce is the new…

When the pandemic hit, many brands were forced to limit store hours or close locations, often furloughing employees or eliminating jobs altogether. Now, as shoppers return and safety restrictions complicate the in-store experience, retailers are looking to hire once again — but this hasn’t been an easy task. According to CNBC, the number of available jobs…

The 2020 holiday shopping season challenged retailers more than any previous peak season. As safety-conscious consumers cautiously flocked to previously less utilized methods that included online shopping; buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS); curbside pickup; home delivery; and more for their seasonal gift-giving needs, retailers had to adapt quickly and scale these capabilities to meet…