Aptos acquiring TXT Retail to boost merchandise lifecycle management

August 8, 2017

Aptos Inc. is buying TXT Retail to meld its customer engagement and inventory management technology with TXT Retail's merchandise lifecycle management suite.

Realtor tapping robots, big data to cut selling costs

August 7, 2017

REX Real Estate Exchange will be deploying robots and tapping big data technology to cut home selling costs in its new Long Island, New York office location.

Sephora debuting a new boutique approach

August 7, 2017

Sephora is testing a "boutique" strategy in response to the current retail climate.

Nuance debuts IVR to Digital for AI-driven customer engagement

August 4, 2017

The Nuance IVR to Digital will strengthen Nuance's omnichannel customer engagement platform as part of a series of cognitive and conversational AI innovations…

Retailers embracing AI big time in next two years, reveals study

August 2, 2017

A hefty number of retailers, 87 percent, claim they will boost use of artificial intelligence for customer engagement strategies in the next two years.

Why store associates must play a critical role in customer experience

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Consumers crave human interaction and the store associate represents a retailer's front line in delivering a rewarding and compelling customer experience. Yet…

Midwest grocery chain debuts a robot named Tally

August 1, 2017

Three St. Louis-based grocery stores are participating in a six-week pilot featuring a robot, Tally, which will check aisles three times a day to ensure items…

The time is now for AI in ecommerce

Eldar Sadikov, CEO and co-founder of Jetlore, shares why taking advantage of AI technology is the only way a brand will be able to differentiate itself and win…

Chip Bell: You can't automate theatre

by Chip Bell — Customer Loyalty Consultant/Author, Chip Bell Group

Is your customer experience plain vanilla, leaving absolutely no imprint at all on your customer's memory? How would your customers' stories about your…

Consumers hungry for contactless checkout at Whole Foods and hope Amazon delivers

July 25, 2017

Consumers are hoping that once Amazon acquires Whole Foods, the online mega retailer will provide cashier-free checkout and a much improved grocery store…

How AI can connect customers to your brand

Dr. Anil Kaul, CEO and co-founder of Absolutdata, writes that as AI becomes a part of daily living, brand leaders are realizing the potential the technology…

Automation will produce a brick-and-mortar retailing renaissance…if labor is deployed creatively

At present, the future of brick-and-mortar retailers looks bleak; however book author John Pugliano believes the technological forces that have favored online…

Walmart aims to monitor shoppers' facial expressions

July 21, 2017

Walmart is reportedly building new technology that will help it identify unhappy consumers standing in check-out lines.

Shoppers moving to mobile: Where retailers fall short with m-commerce experiences

Dan Carney, senior vice president of operations at Limelight Networks, explains how mobile devices are having broad implications across the retail landscape…

Clothing retailer drives mobile shopping forward with Shopgate app platform

July 20, 2017

Texas Humor, a clothing brand focused on state pride, is using Shopgate's mobile commerce platform to build an enhanced mobile shopping app for customers.

Pet retailer deploys IBM MobileFirst to simplify purchase journey

July 20, 2017

The U.K.-based Pets at Home is launching Sales Assist, an IBM MobileFirst for iOS app for iPad, to drive a simpler purchase process across its 440 stores.

Chatbots gaining popularity with consumers, especially millennials

July 19, 2017

One quarter of U.S. consumers are using a chatbot on a daily basis, and that figure spikes to 40 percent among the millennial generation.

Giant Eagle taps Symphony EYC to drive customer-centric retailing

July 19, 2017

Giant Eagle is aiming to drive customer-focused retailing via the use of Symphony EYC's solutions to gain greater customer insight and drive more personalized…

Furniture retailer launches delivery tracking service

July 18, 2017

Jerome's Furniture wants its customers to know where their furniture is, and has launched a smart tracker service to provide customers insight on the delivery…

Voice-controlled devices playing bigger part in consumer purchasing

July 17, 2017

Just about one in three shoppers will make a purchase through a voice-controlled device in the next year, and nearly one in five, 19 percent, made a voice…