Technology

In episode 304 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Matt Powell, chief technology officer of FTD, a premier floral and gifting company. Powell discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic created a surge in gifting demand at the company, why FTD is focusing on improving its technology, and how the 110-year old company is reimagining its…

After a year in which person-to-person contact was all but banned, contactless payments, online ordering, and curbside pickup have become the norm. Out of necessity, consumer adoption of these technologies has accelerated. In fact, 78 percent of consumers globally have made changes to how they pay in the last year to utilize touchless forms of…

In this bonus episode of Total Retail Talks, Digital Content Director Kristina Stidham interviews Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan about Total Retail's recently published report, Automated Order Replenishment Drives High-Level BOPIS Execution .... and Customer Satisfaction, produced in conjunction with SPS Commerce. Listen in as Keenan shares a few key highlights from the report and how retailers can use automation…

Earlier this year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) released its 2021 retail sales forecast. NRF expects retail sales to rise between 6.5 percent and 8.2 percent over 2020, which equates to a $4.33 trillion uptick. This prediction hinges on the success of COVID-19 vaccinations and the re-opening of the economy, but should it play out,…

Everyone in retail has lamented, at one point or another, that “it’s everyone vs. Amazon.” Even the largest retail brands, like Target and Walmart, struggle to match the e-commerce machine of Amazon.com. Amazon itself started off (literally) in a garage, selling one thing: books. It disrupted the book sales industry with aggressive adoption of the…

To address the challenge of balancing inventory and gaining visibility into it, requirements for effective and efficient buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup programs, retailers are increasingly turning to automated technology solutions. They’re automating order and delivery flows with their product suppliers through the use of EDI (i.e., the electronic interchange of business…

Our expert speakers will address how retailers can effectively use individualized promotions as a tool to drive e-commerce sales.

One of the main challenges facing retailers when moving online is looking for technical solutions. Business owners have endless options for technology platforms that can simplify and help scale their businesses. Most retailers are looking for software to improve their processes, but they often make the wrong choice. Retailers need to know precisely what the…

The use of automation technology to facilitate the seamless flow of information between product suppliers and retailers is critical to meeting consumers’ omnichannel fulfillment demands. Automation is necessary for retailers to not only satisfy their customers’ lofty expectations for buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) and curbside pickup, but also to keep pace with their…

For decades, shoppers seeking luxury goods and premier service have turned to boutique stores in the world’s most fashionable cities, from Milan to London, Paris and New York. Beginning in the 20th century, the boutique trend exploded across the retail landscape, changing the way retailers market and sell luxury and personal goods. Discerning shoppers sought…