Technology

You can’t ignore the growing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) in today’s retail landscape. According to IDC, 40 percent of retailers will have developed a customer experience architecture supported by an AI layer by 2019. Will your business be one of them? Retailers that fail to incorporate an AI-backed solution into their business strategies will…

In episode 134 of Total Retail Talks, recorded earlier this year at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City, Steve Wilder, CFO and CIO of City Furniture, a South Florida-based furniture, mattress and home accessories retailer, discusses how the launch of three mobile apps has helped the company's store associates personalize and…

The digital transformation has been building up for decades, yet some businesses are slow to embrace change. Many leaders may not see the threat of this paradigm shift because they still see profit, but they need to look to technology as a catalyst in future plans. This technological era is so critical, demanding and fast-moving that if these leaders fail to understand how they can leverage IoT for their company’s benefit, they're in danger of becoming the next Kodak or Nokia.

There's little doubt in the retail industry that it’s time to make big changes. And if anything was clear this year at the National Retail Federation's Big Show, it was that retailers are on the search for technologies that can help them adapt to the times. Specifically, these retailers are looking to provide the omnichannel…

In the age of customer centricity, the old adage, “the customer is king,” has never been more applicable. Customer expectations are greater than ever, especially in retail. Digital access to information, social networking platforms and the Internet of Things (IoT) have created conditions that make consumers increasingly impatient and fickle. To meet the demands of…

How could retail ignore an opportunity of having infinite space within a 10x10-foot room? With virtual reality (VR), it’s possible to design, enter and test live realistic retail simulations. Gone are the days when we needed to create mock stores to arrange category management or merchandise real solutions. Professionals may enter the same virtual environment remotely. Within a retail…

In a panel discussion at eTail West this week in Palm Springs, Calif., Harsh Acharya, head of technology and product, Dell; Dhritiman Saha, senior vice president, digital, J.C. Penney; and Raghu Sagi, chief engineering officer, Sephora, discussed how their businesses are evolving for a digital future. Specific attention was paid to transforming company culture, making…

Last year saw a lot of change for the retail industry. Brands that have been household names for decades closed their doors or filed for bankruptcy as pure-play e-commerce newcomers entered into the fray and found immense value in opening up their own physical stores. The term “retail apocalypse” also became ubiquitous, and artificial intelligence…

Amazon.com announced yesterday the acquisition of smart home company, Ring. The $1 billion-plus price tag represents Amazon's second largest ever acquisition (the online giant paid $13.6 billion for Whole Foods). Recode reports Ring is now being bought for somewhere between $1.2 billion and $1.8 billion. The startup recently authorized a fundraising round that would have…

In an interview at the eTail West conference in Palm Springs, Calif., this morning, Bruce Starnes, vice president, digital solutions, Target, addressed how the big-box retailer is evolving its business to thrive in a changing retail environment. Starnes was interviewed by Jenny Kaplan, consumer goods reporter for Bloomberg.