Consumer Electronics

More than 100 senior retail executives are already confirmed as speakers for a first-of-its-kind event called Shoptalk that will be held next May with a focus on next generation commerce.

Organizers of the event have confirmed speaker participants including Jason Goldberger, president of Target.com and mobile; Casey Carl, Target chief strategy and innovation officer; Joe Megibow, chief digital officer at American Eagle Outfitters; John Koryl, president of Neiman Marcus stores and online and Andrea Wasserman, senior VP and head of direct-to-consumer at Nine West Group.

Every day, it seems there is news of another large retailer opening a tech innovation center, launching a new engagement channel, or otherwise making its mark as an IT innovator. But while the big guys get all the attention, a lot of smaller retailers are also doing some very interesting and innovative things with technology.

Here are three recent examples of small retailers launching large initiatives in technology innovation:

Poler Outdoor Stuff activates Instagram indoors

Amazon.com is not waiting until Black Friday or even Thanksgiving Week to launch its deepest holiday discounts.

The e-commerce giant announced Monday that its Black Friday Deals store is now officially open. In addition, this year Prime members can access more than 30,000 Lightning Deals 30 minutes early, giving Prime members special, early access to deals.

New York -- The Feil Organization announced the completion of Nassau Mall and Kohl's Plaza complex renovation in Levittown, New York. The renovation consisted of a new façade and re-tenanting the centers, which resulted in four new leases totaling approximately 11,000 sq. ft. and 100% occupancy at both centers.

It’s not your imagination – a lot of new players are entering the mobile payment market.

A major national retailer is the latest chain to start offering same-day delivery in a large metropolitan area.

According to Re/code, Best Buy is partnering with third-party delivery service Deliv to offer customers in the San Francisco area, including San Jose, same-day delivery of online orders. The official rollout follows a recent pilot of the service Best Buy conducted with Deliv in the greater San Francisco area.

Retailers, are you prepared for the millennial effect?

Born roughly between 1980 and 2000, millennials, are poised to cause a tidal shift in the retail industry because of their spending power and unique characteristics that greatly influence how and what they purchase. According to Advertising Age, millennials will spend more than $200 billion annually starting in 2017 and $10 trillion in their lifetimes.

Apple TV reportedly has a formidable new rival in the emerging channel of TV commerce.

According to GeekWire, Amazon is providing direct purchase capabilities through its Fire TV devices, without fanfare. A pilot has been underway for about two weeks, with sources indicating performance so far has exceeded expectations.

The pilot allows Fire TV and Fire TV stick users to directly browse and purchase items including Hershey’s candy, FitBit personal fitness devices, and Mattel toys from banner ads on the TV screen.