Artificial Intelligence

Amazon.com is noted for a focus on operational efficiency that is intense, to say the least. However, as the Seattle Times reports, Amazon consistently ranks near the top of customer service rankings by using customer service agents and technologies to ensure customer satisfaction, not rapid turnover. [Seattle Times]

Retailers and academics are coming together to help drive continuing innovation in digital retailing.

“Our main mission is the advancement of digital retail through collaboration among academic and retail partners,” said Richard Last, senior director of the Global Digital Retail Research Center at the University of North Texas, during an interview with Chain Store Age.

Dan Berthiaume, senior editor of Chain Store Age, recently participated in a one-hour panel discussion, “Game-Changers 2016 Predictions – Part 1,” sponsored by SAP as part of its “Coffee Break with Game-Changers” Internet radio series.

Vertical specialty workwear retailer Carhartt Inc. is gaining an unprecedented view into what customers want, when they want it.

Carhartt is leveraging the new IBM Commerce Insights solution that is designed to help online retailers evaluate category and product performance for quick merchandising decisions. Leveraging cognitive capabilities from Watson Analytics,IBM Commerce Insights provides a single view of customer behavioral, market and business performance data directly on Carhartt’s storefront.

Wisconsin-based, 21-store grocery retailer Festival Foods takes food safety so seriously that it no longer thinks about it.

That’s because Festival Foods has chosen the food safety platform from ReposiTrak to automatically manage regulatory and business documentation compliance within its supply chain.

Online retail platform eBay Enterprise is entering a new partnership to help its retail users directly serve the needs of customers.

eBay Enterprise is teaming up with OpenSpan Inc., a provider of contact center automation and intelligence technology, to provide solutions designed to automate, simplify and integrate applications to improve the way contact center agents work.

Information technology outsourcing (ITO), or the strategic hosting and management of technology solutions, services and personnel by a third-party provider, is a popular way for retailers to quickly increase their technological capabilities, and also lower their IT-related capital expenditure.

Jeff Seabloom, managing director at Dallas-based global advisory firm Alsbridge Inc., spoke with Chain Store Age about three trends he sees having a major impact on retail ITO in 2016.

As we begin 2016, supermarket retailers continue to adapt to changing consumer demands, industry issues and regulations affecting their businesses. Some grocers are expanding their footprints, others are narrowing to specialty formats, and some seem to be doing both. All are facing increased competition and high expectations around freshness, convenience and transparency.