Sales & Marketing

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

Genesco is expanding its reach geographically and generationally with its latest acquisition.

The company has entered into an agreement with the Aldo Group Inc. to acquire the 37-store Little Burgundy retail footwear chain in Canada.

American Eagle Outfitters has entered into an acquisition that could eventually see it open hundreds of new stores, and also enter a more upscale market. The teen apparel retailer has acquired upscale menswear brand Todd Synder, along with Snyder’s Tailgate Clothing Co., a vintage sports-inspired brand that operates a college-town store concept. American Eagle sees the potential to open as many as 200 Tailgate stores at universities nationwide, starting with Southeastern Conference and Big Ten colleges, according to the New York Times.

Levi Strauss & Co. is turning to the Internet of Things (IoT) as a solution to improve inventory visibility.

Levi’s is partnering with Intel to run a proof-of-concept of the new Intel IoT platform at three of the vertical apparel retailer’s stores. The pilot allows the Levi’s stores to gain visibility into what’s on the shelf or what might be running low. The goal is to make the process of inventory management more effective, maximizing in-stock and on-shelf availability of products.

Amazon’s first permanent physical store has opened in its hometown of Seattle and guess what? It looks a lot like the bookstores whose demise it facilitated.

In a letter to customers, the retailer announced the opening of the store located at 4601 26th Avenue NE in Seattle’s University Village on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Whole Foods Market is adding a Target veteran with experience in technology and omnichannel marketing to its executive leadership team.

The grocery retailer announced that it has named Don J. Clark global vice president of purchasing for non-perishables.

Rather than let third-party platforms have all the online home services fun to themselves, Sears is joining the game.

Sears Home Services is launching a new site, SearsHomeServices.com, aimed at connecting homeowners with Sears-certified technicians. The site also offers do-it-yourself information. Technicians are regionally listed and rated by criteria such as number of repairs completed, average cost, and length of repair time. Customer reviews are also featured.

Exceptional customer service continues to drive growth at Publix Supermarkets, which had strong earnings and same-store sales growth in its third quarter.

Publix sales for the third quarter 2015 totaled $7.8 billion, representing a 6.3% increase from last year. Comparable-store sales for the third quarter of 2015 increased 4.2%.