Artificial Intelligence

Sooner or later, disruption occurs in almost every sphere of human activity. While the radical upending of long-established norms and conventions is not always a positive development, oftentimes disruptive forces enable a burst of creativity and innovation that move an industry toward new levels of success and achievement.

Newegg opened 2014 with a victory over patent trolls.

"Newegg believes that fighting patent trolls is necessary to serve our customers, and to facilitate entrepreneurship and true innovation," said Lee Cheng, Newegg's chief legal officer. "We support the patent system, but believe it is being abused on a massive scale by patent trolls who want to force entrepreneurs into cash settlements to avoid the high cost of defense."

Restaurants, retailers partner with STM Mobile Loyalty Program

Technology-enabled customer disruption is not strictly the province of retailers. Montreal’s public transportation authority, Société de transport de Montréal (STM), is in the midst of a successful pilot of a loyalty program that uses advanced geolocation and real-time mobile messaging to disrupt the public transportation customer experience. And in another sign of how traditional silos in the customer experience are falling, retailers are playing an active role. 

The emergence of omnichannel commerce is dramatically changing the retail equation, both in how customers travel the path to purchase and how retailers anticipate and meet customer demand. Mike Webster, senior VP and general manager of Oracle Retail, offered Chain Store Age his perspective on how retailers must alter their approach to both systems and business processes to ensure they deliver a seamless experience across all customer touchpoints, one that both converts sales and builds long-term satisfaction and loyalty.   

From LEDs and controls to rebates and incentives, lighting presents retailers with a myriad of opportunities for savings. Chain Store Age spoke with Regency Lighting’s Judah Regenstreif about lighting trends and the potential for savings, in new stores and existing locations.

What are some of the major trends Regency is seeing in retail lighting?

Austin, Texas – Shelfbucks Inc. has appointed a 25-member advisory board of senior corporate executives and business school leaders. Launched in October 2013, Shelfbucks delivers a smartphone-based technology that capitalizes on iBeacon, Bluetooth Low Energy and Near Field Communications to enable retailers to communicate special offers, coupons and other information directly to consumers in the retail setting.

Increased immersion in technology — and increased questions about its effect on people’s lives and privacy. A rise in consumer expectations for speed. A shift to a visual vocabulary and the rise of telepathic technology. These, according to one trend forecast, will be among the main drivers of consumer behavior in 2014.

Japan’s biggest e-commerce player uses third-party marketplace model to expand

Most U.S. consumers, and many retailers for that matter, have probably never heard of Rakuten. But if Japan’s largest e-commerce marketplace has its way, that will soon change: The company has set its sights on becoming a household name in the United States. An even loftier goal: outpacing e-commerce giant Amazon.com.