Artificial Intelligence

Whether you’re an eye-roller or an enthusiastic participant, Pokémon Go is a game that’s difficult to ignore. It does have a lot going for it: nostalgic yet advanced, simple but strategic, and although played on phones, the game incorporates the user’s surroundings to an extent we haven’t really seen before. The “Go” sets the game apart from all others that have come before, Pokémon or not: you simply can’t catch Pokémon while sitting still.   

Let’s talk about pizza, shall we? A truly historic and transformative moment occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio early this month that changes the way college students can satisfy their late night munchies. Xavier University installed the nation’s first Pizza ATM. It’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and serves up fresh, restaurant-quality pizza cooked in minutes. The school’s dining service announced the occasion with a Tweet that reads, “One small step for pepperoni, one giant leap for pizzakind.”  

Wayfair Inc. has launched an in-house developed virtual reality app to help customers plan their outdoor patio area.    The retailer’s new Patio Playground application uses Facebook’s Oculus Rift platform, Developed by Wayfair Next, the company’s in-house research and development team, the app allows shoppers to immerse themselves in an inspirational landscape, where they can explore, rearrange, and discover furniture and décor from Wayfair’s catalog.  

Ikea is extending its renewable energy commitment with plans for its first biogas-powered fuel cell system on the East Coast.    The home furnishings giant contracted Bloom Energy, Sunnyvale, California, for the design, development and installation of the system, which will be located at Ikea’s location in New Haven, Connecticut. Combined with the 940.8-kW solar array that was installed atop the store in 2012, the fuel cell project will help generate a majority of the store’s energy onsite.   

Mike McNamara, a former executive at British retailer Tesco PLC, joined Target as CIO last summer, moving from London to Minneapolis.   In a Q&A on Target’s website, McNamara discusses highlights of his first year with the discounter and priorities going forward. He also spoke about Target’s tech hiring boom.    

Customer experience remains at the hub of all retail strategies, including technical strategy. Whether it’s global inventory availability, mobile payment or loyalty apps, e-commerce and call center integration, or ubiquitous points-of-sale, infrastructure that uses all assets while integrating suppliers and consumers continues to define a retailer’s network design. Further, in highly competitive retail segments, managing the costs of digital fluidity is not only vital to capturing profitable share; it can also distinguish competitive advantage. 

Customer experience remains at the hub of all retail strategies, including technical strategy. Whether it’s global inventory availability, mobile payment or loyalty apps, e-commerce and call center integration, or ubiquitous points-of-sale, infrastructure that uses all assets while integrating suppliers and consumers continues to define a retailer’s network design. Further, in highly competitive retail segments, managing the costs of digital fluidity is not only vital to capturing profitable share; it can also distinguish competitive advantage. 

When it comes to providing customer service, companies often have only one chance to get it right. The reality is that even just one negative experience can be all it takes for a customer to take their business elsewhere.