Technology

What motivates a consumer to walk into a store to make a purchase rather than shop online? Instant gratification? The inspiration that only comes from touch and smell? With 67 percent of the Gen Zs surveyed by IBM and the National Retail Federation preferring to shop in-store vs. 22 percent who favor online, there are tangible…

When it comes to in-store shopping during the holiday season, opinions tend to be mixed. PwC's “Retailers and the Age of Disruption” survey found that while 68 percent of respondents intentionally browse products in-store before purchasing them online, 73 percent said they browse online and then purchase the products in-store. Consumers can’t decide which channel to…

According to the 2018 Activate Outlook Report, grocery is the next battleground for e-commerce. Interestingly, the report makes a case that brick-and-mortar stores are an enabler of online growth, beckoning a future less interested in the extinction of physical stores, but rather a harmonization of physical and e-commerce retail experiences. Central to that harmonization is…

Augmented reality (AR) isn’t necessarily a new concept, but the recent rollout of Apple’s ARKit and the upcoming launch of Google’s ARCore has taken this technology to the next level, making it substantially more mainstream for every consumer and business across all industries. Similar to virtual reality’s (VR) impact on gaming/entertainment, AR’s use cases are…

Consumer loyalty reward programs across every facet of retail are antiquated and ineffective. Seventy-seven percent of adults in the United States participate in loyalty programs, however, more than $100 billion in loyalty points have gone unclaimed as trust in loyalty program benefits plummets. These rewards points go unused because consumers either don’t know how to claim…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the mother of all marketing buzzwords these days. Defined as the theory and development of computer systems to be able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, the broader applications of AI are much bigger than using a machine to order your food vs. having a waitress come to your…

"The future is not going to be driven exclusively by technology, but by people.The term that we started using inside the company is we want to be people-led and tech-empowered."

The technology tips listed below appeared in Total Retail's annual 50 Best Tips feature, part of the Fall print issue. Download the full list of 50 tips here. "It’s time to stop wringing our hands about jobs lost to automation and realize that all businesses can benefit from the technological advances of the last 50 years." Parag Mamnani,…

As the all-important holiday shopping season is underway, retail marketers must consider which vital data-crunching tools will help increase efficiencies and create more targeted customer experiences. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) leads the pack. While brands are already heavily investing in AI to better engage today’s easily distracted consumers, there are many myths around…

Macy's confirmed on Friday that it was suffering a credit card slowdown on one of the busiest and most important shopping days of the year. That trouble was resolved by Friday evening. "We have fully resolved today's system issues. We highly value our customers and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience today's system slowdown may have…