Technology

Target will begin to test a service that uses Bluetooth-connected household devices to monitor your supply of toilet paper, paper towels and hand soap, and automatically order more when consumers need them. The replenishment program is called Target Fetch, and the retailer will launch a campaign May 1 on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo to solicit 250…

In episode 140 of Total Retail Talks, Anthoula Madden, chief digital officer of pladis Global, parent company of Godiva, discusses how the gourmet chocolate brand is using technology to help it become more customer-centric, particularly in regards to personalizing marketing campaigns. Madden also shares her advice for other retailers working to become truly customer-centric organizations.

As you may have noticed, the word blockchain is everywhere. Across multiple industries, it has become a buzzword as companies look to integrate blockchain technology — which creates a digital ledger of transactions — into their offerings. While many companies want to take advantage of the buzz and jump to announce that they're using blockchain,…

Remember when radio ads were a big deal? Retailers, get ready to go back in time. Voice-enabled shopping is a growing trend, driven by Amazon.com's Alexa and competing products by Google and Apple. This isn’t just a fad. Voice-enabled smart speakers could infiltrate over half of U.S. households by 2022, according to a recent report, and…

Not long ago, throngs of movie-watchers gladly bypassed renting videos from brick-and-mortar retailers in favor of subscription services that mailed a certain number of DVDs to their doorsteps every month. It was arguably the beginning of a massive trend toward subscription-based commerce in the entertainment industry. How times have changed. In just a few short…

Nordstrom is opening a men’s store in New York City this week that will operate 24 hours a day. The retailer is offering a variety of services at the store, including overnight in-store pickup, a self-service return kiosk, shoe shining, and “sneaker cleanings.” The new service-oriented store will cater to the city that never sleeps,…

In episode 139 of Total Retail Talks, recorded earlier this year at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City, Mike Early, senior managing director, head of information technology, Build-A-Bear Workshop, talks about the company's shift to Microsoft's Dynamics 365 ERP platform and the impact it has had. Early addresses how the single…

Innovations in mobile and digital wallets over recent years have resulted in a proliferation of wallet models and solutions, all intended to improve customer convenience, leverage data, lessen friction or lower the cost of payments. The potential for increased growth of digital commerce is evidenced by the number of brick-and-mortar retailers that have introduced mobile…

The retail industry has a major impact on the U.S. economy. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), one in four American jobs are supported by the retail industry. Despite the retail industry’s prominent position in the economy, traditional brick-and-mortal retailers are under a pressure unlike any other industry to digitally transform their businesses. With…

On a busy retail floor during peak sales season, it’s difficult (if not impossible!) to pull a veteran employee away from critical duties in order to train a new recruit. Thankfully, human resources has a new technology at their disposal to scale trainers: virtual reality (VR). Not only is VR effective in scaling training programs,…