Technology

A recent article on Total Retail by Mark Ryski titled Why Amazon Go is a ‘No-Go’ for Most Retailers caught my attention. Ryski’s article postulated that grab-and-go technologies would be too expensive and complex to implement for most retailers, and used Whole Foods’ footprint (average of 39,000 square feet) as an example. The issue I…

Since 2014, retail e-commerce sales have increased by over 70 percent, amounting to over 10 percent of the share of total retail sales this year. In fact, when e-commerce first began to gain traction, most people believed this was unequivocally the future of retail. However, we’re beginning to realize that the future for retail is…

Steve Jobs thrived at balancing the complexity that drives powerful computational systems with the simplicity required for utility. “Simple can be harder than complex,” Jobs said. “You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move…

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’s Alexa and competing products from 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 it’s a theme CPC Strategy confirmed in its 2018 Amazon Shopper Report.

The retail industry has faced some major changes in the past decade. Between the fluctuating market landscape, emerging technology and innovations in customer experience, it almost seems like none of the retail giants of the early 2000's had staying power as we look back at them today. As they say, hindsight is 20/20 after all.…

A reliable internet connection is every retailer’s lifeline. When network downtime occurs, it costs retailers more than just missed sales, as retailers rely on fast and stable internet to operate point-of-sale systems, security systems, inventory databases, digital signage and more. To better understand the true impact of downtime for retailers, Accelerated Concepts, a Digi International…

In episode 137 of Total Retail Talks, recorded at this year's NRF Big Show in New York City, Hampton Catlin, vice president of engineering at Rent the Runway, discusses how the fashion brand that provides designer dresses, apparel and accessories for rental is using in-store kiosks to expedite the pickup and drop-off of orders. Catlin…

The robots have arrived and they're becoming increasingly self-aware. There's broad acceptance that artificial intelligence (AI) is here. However, we're still figuring out how to apply it across retail businesses for supply chains, operations, omnichannel experiences, or even in-store. While we're still in the early stages of application, one thing is certain: as we increasingly…

In this week's episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss the growing influence of technology within the retail industry. Special attention is paid to the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) can have on retailers’ businesses, from optimizing back-end operations (e.g., inventory management, shipping) to improving the customer experience.

Both online and offline retailers plan to invest in technology in 2018. As part of its ongoing effort to help small businesses succeed, Kabbage recently surveyed more than 800 business owners, 25 percent of which were retailers (both offline and online). The data showed that online and offline retailers are highly optimistic of revenue growth in…