Artificial Intelligence

Atlanta -- Pricer, which provides electronic shelf label solutions, has announced that Carrefour, the world’s second largest retailer, will use Pricer’s latest retail technology for a fully connected store that significantly improves the customer experience.

Carrefour’s store in Villeneuve la Garenne is the first store worldwide that allows customers to benefit from Pricer’s integrated solution using indoor navigation, mobile shopping and SmartTAG graphic labels.

Founded in 2007, Julep is a fast-growing omnichannel beauty brand that takes a social approach to product development. The brand, which is perhaps best known for its monthly beauty box delivery program, has raised $30 million in Series C financing.

New investors Azure Capital, Madrona Venture Group and Altimeter Capital, as well as existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and Maveron, participated in the round. The new investment brings Julep's total venture funding to $56 million.

New York – Retail marketers say social media and digital, customer data and brand awareness are their top three marketing challenges. Findings from a retail marketing survey SAP conducted with University of Arizona students also showed that survey participants said 100% of respondents cited digital advertising among the most important marketing tools for their organization.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples has partnered with 3D Systems, a leading provider of 3D content-to-print solutions, to test 3D printing services in two stores in New York and Los Angeles.

Each store features a 3D printing center that lets consumers and small businesses create personalized products and use 3D printing hardware. Customers can also bring in their own 3D print-ready files to have them printed.

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Acellos is integrating its Prophesy Dispatch TMS (transportation management system) productnwith MacroPoint, a service that provides location tracking for brokered loads. The integrated solution provides transportation brokers with a way to automatically track loads including arrival, departure from stops and GPS position updates.   

The newest jewel in Amazon’s content crown is leading digital comics provider comiXology.

Amazon reached an agreement to acquire comiXology for an undisclosed sum. The company was founded in 2007 offers an extensive library of digital comic book content from more than 75 top publishers as well as top independent creators. According to Amazon, comiXology revolutionized the digital comics reading experience with its immersive Guided View technology.

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM Corp. announced it will acquire digital marketing technology provider Silverpop. The Atlanta-based Silverpop allows marketers to target highly personalized offers and promotions. IBM said the technology will enhance its enterprise marketing capabilities.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

San Francisco -- Zynga Inc. named former Best Buy executive David Lee as CFO, effective April 14, as the online games company and creator of “Farmville” seeks to return to growth. He will replace current CFO Mark Vranesh who has decided to leave the company.

Lee was previously the senior VP of corporate finance, treasury, mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy at Best Buy.