Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence has given Charlotte Russe an important competitive edge.    With its online and mobile shopping communities growing larger and their expectations for flawless services increasing,   the apparel retailer turned to IBM to prepare for the busy and critical 2016, five-day holiday shopping season kick-off. To get a jump start, Charlotte Russe launched IBM’s Watson Customer Engagement solutions in seven months. And the technology immediately gave the retailer a wake-up call.  

Bolstered by positive consumer indicators, retail CFOs are largely optimistic for 2017. But competition and consolidation could cloud their outlook.    That’s according to BDO USA’s 11th annual Retail Compass Survey of CFOs, in which respondents predict a 4.9% bump in total sales this year, up from 3.4% in 2016. The bullish predictions are echoed by online sales projections, with a 10.7% increase expected for the year ahead — the highest in survey history.   

As the retail experience becomes increasingly digitally-influenced, retailers need a flexible point-of-sale (POS) system that can deliver a consistent brand experience at store level.    Nordstrom is taking steps to make this happen through a partnership with Infor to run POS in the cloud. Having a POS system in the cloud will give Nordstrom the tools to be more accurate and consistent across multiple locations, attend to customers more quickly, and better manage and track information, according to Infor.   

Time-starved shoppers expect their favorite grocers to have the staples they need when they enter the store — and supermarkets are hard-pressed to deliver.  

Converging channels, customization and constant connectivity are expected to change the shopping sector in the years ahead.   That is the main theme of a new study by Synchrony Financial, which examines consumer perspectives and shopping trends that are expected to change the retail industry by 2030.   “The future of retail will look dramatically different in 2030 than it does today,” said Whit Goodrich, CMO retail card, Synchrony Financial.  

The increasingly digital customer is impacting the evolution of new, distinct store formats.   As stores transition to new concepts by 2020 and beyond, so will the roles of store associates, according to new research from Avanade and EKN Research. Avanade surveyed 161 global retail executives across various retail segments to understand the driving factors of digital and workforce transformation in the industry.  

Amazon is making it a lot easier for customers to speak with its voice assistant.     The online giant on Thursday started integrating Alex into its main shopping app on the iPhone, with a full rollout expected by the end of next week.     Users will be able to ask Alexa for help with shopping, and also to stream books from their Kindle library, play media and request information such as news, weather or sports scores.    

With increased competition in the home furnishings category heats up, Pier 1 Imports wants to feature better assortments and pricing decisions to attract and retain shoppers.   The retailer is adopting a new predictive analytics solution from First Insight, which is designed to help it make quicker and more accurate design, buying and pricing decisions, as well as evaluate opportunities for new product launches.