Nominations open for 2026 Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Awards

by Richard Slawsky — Editor, Connect Media

The organizers of the Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation (ARKI) Show are accepting nominations for the 2026 ARKI Awards, recognizing the companies, products, deployments and technologies driving innovation across the automated retail, kiosk, vending and self-service industries.

Back-to-school shopping on record-hitting track despite consumers seeking best deals

by Judy Mottl — Editor: RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com, Connect Media

Big spending expected in the back-to-school retail shopping season but consumers are feeling pressure.

In retail, automation isn’t the problem. Untested customer journeys are.

by Mark Rohan — Co-founder and COO, Klearcom

In retail, trust is built during the full customer journey, not during just the AI interaction. That’s why monitoring needs to become as central to contact center operations as the AI sitting on top of it.

Beauty retailer deploys AI kiosks for international customers

CJ Olive Young, South Korea's largest health and beauty retailer, is deploying artificial intelligence-powered kiosks in its stores to improve the shopping…

From Noise to Clarity: Reimagining Employee Communication Through In-Store Screens

Retailers often struggle to deliver timely, consistent communication to deskless employees. This webinar explores how in-store digital communication helps unify messaging, improve training and engagement, streamline safety and operational updates, and ensure frontline teams receive the information they need when they need it.

Retail Customer Service

Consumers are more demanding than ever and that means customer service is more critical than ever to driving sales and consumer loyalty.