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Supply Chain & Merchandising

  • Engaging the connected consumer

    Reinventing the traditional retailing experience is paramount to reaching a digitally savvy customer base, according to Joe Jensen, VP, Internet of Things group general manager, retail solutions division, Intel. Jensen discussed with Chain Store Age how retailers can meet this challenge.

    What are the biggest challenges that retailers are facing in their customer engagement strategies?

  • Tapping into the restaurant playbook

    To create meaningful experiences, retailers should take a page from the menu

    At the Converse store on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, “customization maestros” help sneaker fans manufacture their dream shoe.

    Shoppers, browsing the featured iPads, choose among 150 graphics, including those created by local artists. There is a wide selection of grommets, patches and lettering, along with swap-out drawstrings of various designs and color.

  • Whole Foods’ rapid solar rollout

    Whole Foods Market is saving money and time — and benefiting the environment—by taking an innovative approach to going solar.

    That’s according to an analysis by the Retail Industry Leaders Association and The Solar Foundation that found Whole Foods’ strategy of taking a standardized approach to rapid rollout of solar rooftop installations across multiple locations could be a valuable model for other retailers to consider.

  • Report: Seamless shopping, mobile commerce are top online priorities

    Providing shoppers with a consistent brand experience across channels is retailers’ top digital priority.   That’s according to a survey from Boston Retail Partners (BRP), in which 56% of surveyed retailers said they were focused on a consistent brand experience across channels as a top digital priority, followed by improving the mobile shopping experience (46%) and personalization (40%).     

  • L Brands tops Street in September as some others disappoint

    L Brands, operator of Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, posted a better-than-expected 3% increase in same-store sales for September.      The retailer’s results were fueled by a 9% increase in comp sales at its Bath & Body Works brand. L Brands’ net sales rose 6% to $919.9 million in September.   The handful of other retailers who still report same-store sales did not fare so well.  

  • Report: Walmart fielding presentations from 26 technology startups

    Walmart is hosting 26 startups to present their ideas as part of the company's Technology Open Call, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported Thursday.   The event is being held in conjunction with Friday's Northwest Arkansas Tech Summit and features companies like FreshSpire, a service that notifies participating consumers the availability of discounted produce that's about to expire. 

  • Connected homes

    IoT is making it easier for retailers to interact with consumers via connected home-based devices that allow consumers to interact with brands without launching a website or mobile app.

    The best known is Amazon Echo, a voice activated device designed with an artificial intelligence assistant app called Alexa. Dedicated sensors in the device connect the consumer’s home to their retailers of choice, allowing, via voice commands, consumers to add items to virtual shopping lists or make online purchases.

  • Walmart to slow new store growth, invest in remodels and online

    Walmart gave a lackluster profit outlook for next year, and said it will slow new store openings as it invests in remodels and digital initiatives.
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