Technology

As we begin a new year, it's a good time to take a look at what lies ahead for retailers and online merchants. While COVID-19 brought many retailers to the breaking point in 2020, it also accelerated retail technology trends that had already been infiltrating the industry over the years. Here are some of the…

While e-commerce sales were expected to reach $4.2 trillion by the end of 2020, a big part of that money goes to waste due to inefficient processes. Items get damaged, remain unsold, and end up in landfills, not to mention high return rates that have skyrocketed and are expected to reach a whopping $550 billion…

Online pet supplies retailer Chewy.com revealed customer feedback was a primary reason the company accelerated its plans to launch a virtual vet service, CNBC reported. CEO Sumit Singh explained during an keynote presentation at the NRF Big Show this week that even though the business was years away from rolling out the program, calls to Chewy's…

While we've entered a new world of commerce, there’s no question that retailers are ready for any challenge that comes their way in the year ahead. When the COVID-19 global pandemic temporarily closed shop doors, retailers became experts in adapting. They quickly implemented digital tools and new ways of selling, all without the luxury of…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers are poised to bring in a great deal of revenue through their e-commerce platforms. Not only can artificial intelligence (AI) effectively help keep e-commerce stores up-and-running during peak shopping seasons and thereafter, but it can also provide effective sales recommendations and timely automated customer support.  Use AI to Automate…

Consumption and shopping behaviors have changed dramatically, leaving retailers with a challenging and dynamic planning process ahead — months after the start of the pandemic. Further complicating things, historical data is losing relevance, and it’s unclear which new behaviors will stick. Retailers must now juggle hundreds of constantly changing variables and answer questions like: With…

The retail industry was massively disrupted with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Stores were shuttered and consumers had no choice but to make online purchases for items deemed non-essential. For primarily store-based retailers, this seismic shift was a major reality check, and in the most extreme cases, led to permanent closures and…

When someone asks “what does artificial intelligence (AI) do for retail?” the first thing that comes to mind is likely something about personalization and the customer experience. For retailers competing online, it’s critical to offer that “you-know-me” type of experience that the Netflix’s and Amazon.com's of the world provide. Companies that can weave AI and…

There are many industries where manufacturing continues to be the backbone of the economy, where companies that produce products and goods used by both businesses and consumers have found a way to push forward during the COVID-pandemic. Retail manufacturers especially are continuously finding opportunities to create efficiencies while protecting the health of employees and customers.…

COVID-19 has fast tracked the adoption of emerging technologies in retail spaces, blurring the lines between traditional brick-and-mortar experiences and digital commerce. Where only a year ago we saw roughly 16 percent total penetration for e-commerce across sectors, we’ve now eclipsed 30 percent penetration, with certain categories meaningfully higher. This level of penetration represents a…