News & Media From Elliot Maras
AI can boost customer engagement if brand is open to change
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Artificial intelligence can allow retailers to improve the customer experience and gain valuable insights, but it is necessary to identify the core…
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Augmented reality more accessible to retailers, brands
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Though AR is still in its infancy at retail, a pair of presenters at Infocomm said that it offers a new way to excite consumers, and is more economical than…
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Why the future of retail belongs to visual discovery
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Pinterest provides a visual tool to enable the discovery process online. Millions of consumers already use Pinterest to get ideas for everyday needs — food…
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Ulta Beauty tackles retail change by embracing change
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Ulta Beauty CEO Mary Dillon says the world continues to have a need for human connection and inspiration within the retail environment and that her company…
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Sephora shares tips, insight on crafting a retail customer personalization strategy
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Mary Beth Laughton, Sephora's executive vice president for omnichannel, offers up insight on making the shopping experience more personal and that while…
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How Target is embracing the human touch to beat the competition
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Instead of resisting change when new competitors such as e-commerce retailers and on-demand delivery services came into the market, Target is investing in its…
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Mobile pay, AI, biometrics bringing new muscle to automatic merchandising
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
The National Automatic Merchandising Association trade show floor featured POS equipment tailored to a consumer who is comfortable with mobile payment, and…
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Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market on the future of the grocery store
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
While e-commerce continues to expand, consumers still want to visit the store for fresh food. Supermarkets need to find ways to improve the in-store shopping…
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Personalization, physical-digital integration dominating retail innovation
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Recognizing the need for both physical stores and e-commerce, retailers seek solutions — including self-serve kiosks — to deliver more interactive customer…
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Watch out Amazon Go, China's BingoBox is on the move
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
BingoBox, an unmanned c-store, already has 300 locations in China, and plans to expand internationally. The project has received significant venture funding.
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Digital transformation a reality for grocery brands, retailers
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Retailers and brands share the need to become omnichannel marketers in order to maintain customer loyalty and enhance customer relationships. Because of this…
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Mobile payment: Redefining the customer experience for unattended retail
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
One of the best-attended educational sessions at the recent National Automatic Merchandising Association show in Las Vegas focused on how payment technology…
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Researchers predict ‘tipping point’ for grocery e-commerce to arrive in 2025
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Changing demographics, a collaboration among retailers and "pure play" digital merchants and dedicated staffing to support e-commerce are among the factors…
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Lowe's, Poshmark are improving customer experience via digital innovation
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Retailers that engage customers using today's highly sophisticated digital and mobile tools are finding that these initiatives deliver greater customer…
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Macy’s to introduce mobile checkout, VR furniture design experience and more
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Macy's has recognized the characteristics of its target shopper and is committed to offering her a more personalized experience, as well as mobile checkout and…
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Amazon happy with customer response to Go store but guarded about future plans
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
While encouraged by customer response Amazon isn't ready to announce much about its plans for its innovative cashierless store. The company is making sure the…
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CES serves up a gold mine of self-serve retail innovation
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Many of the exhibits in the High Tech Retailing Marketplace and elsewhere on the CES show floor featured self-service technology designed to enable retailers…
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Frictionless online payment remains elusive for retailers
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
A CES panel explored the challenges of payments technology, including the friction with online payments, glitches in online payment systems, the lack of retail…
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'Grocery on wheels' may be supermarket delivery game changer
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
Self-driving vehicles that deliver fresh produce and allow consumers to place orders via an app and then physically pick their own produce could be the…
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Is staying up with consumer acceptance of automation worth the challenges?
by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times
A session on the need to adopt automation in retail drew an overflow audience during the CES show in Las Vegas.
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