Samsung

Amazon has rolled out the first devices available with Amazon Dash Replenishment.

As more millennials enter the real estate market and a rising number of homeowners invest in updating their homes, J.C. Penney is re-entering the appliance business.

The retailer announced that it will introduce a leading assortment of major appliances in 22 pilot stores beginning Feb. 1. Backed by customer research that reinforces the company’s decision to enter the appliance market, the pilot is one of several strategic initiatives aimed at improving its home department sales productivity, the company said.

The NFC/contactless ecosystem will grow in 2016, with an increasingly number of third-party wallets coming from the likes of Samsung and Google.

That’s just one of seven payment predictions contained in a new infographic from the Ingenico Group.

To see the infographic, click here.

Having just inked a deal to serve as a mobile and online payment platform for Walmart, MasterCard is looking to devices to widen its range in the digital payment space and has even launched a new grocery initiative.

On the heels of adding new security features to its Iris connected home device, Lowe’s is further expanding its presence in the connected home market.

A planned expansion of Samsung Pay is the latest in a seemingly endless series of maneuvers made by mobile payment providers throughout 2015.

In an interview with Reuters, Thomas Ko, global co-manager of Samsung Pay, said U.S. consumers will be able to use the mobile wallet solution for online payments in 2016. In addition, Samsung will roll out Samsung Pay to a broader range of lower-priced phones in the U.S. in the coming year. Currently, it is only available as a built-in feature on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge devices.

Last week, I looked at the top three trends that disrupted how retailers engage their customers during 2015. This week, I predict the top three trends that will set the course for customer engagement in 2016.

As Seen on TV

Which brands will break new ground, fall from grace, or overcome obstacles in 2016? Here’s my list of brands to watch in 2016. Since I couldn’t narrow the list to a handful as I’ve done in past years, I decided to expand the list to 26, one for each letter of the alphabet.

So here’s a brand-builder’s almanac for the coming year:

Shoppers at Walmart stores will soon be able to pay with their smartphones as the retailer has developed a unique solution to become the newest entrant in the crowded world of mobile wallets.

Cyber Monday 2015 will be a day for the retail record books, at least until next holiday season.