Artificial Intelligence

Creating an innovative customer experience is top of mind for Target. Now it needs the right solutions.   As a result, Target launched a new website that invites start-up companies to pitch ideas for new technology platforms that will help the big-box retailer enhance the customer experience in its stores and through its digital channels, according to an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Never mind going for the gold, REI has visions of platinum — LEED platinum, that is.    Outdoor retailer REI has designed its distribution center to be ‘Net Zero Energy.’ By creating a facility that produces enough renewable energy to meet its own annual energy consumption requirements, REI hopes earns LEED Platinum status — the highest level in the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) rating system.   

A Chicago startup has landed partnerships with four major online retailers, including Target, to launch a product meant to rival Amazon’s Alexa, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Amazon is always exploring new and more efficient ways to get its goods to customers.   In what could be its latest move, the Internet giant might be working with a company developing technology that would allow delivery people temporary access when they’re making deliveries, according to a report by techcrunch.com.   For more, click here.   

Washington, D.C., is gaining a new grocery delivery service — one that is powered by rolling drones.   With municipal regulators approving the use of rolling delivery drones for urban deliveries, these bots will deliver groceries to mainly single- or double-occupant households, according to TechCrunch.com.  

The narrative is well established: Online sales are rising dramatically and having a major impact on brick-and-mortar retailers. The facts, however, are not quite so cut and dried. Internet sales still account for a remarkably small overall percentage of U.S. retail sales. A quarter century after Amazon’s first shipment was mailed, the Web accounts for less than 9% of U.S. retail sales. With sales of $500 billion, Walmart alone is the equivalent of six Amazons.  

Mirror, mirror in her hand, is Rebecca Minkoff one of the most innovative retailers in the land?   The specialty retailer is inching closer to this title as it brings its store-level smart mirror experience into its shoppers hands through a new app. Specifically, the app from Zeekit allows consumers to virtually “try on” fashions before buying online or trying them on in-store.  

Eleven retail tech startups took the stage at Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall on Tuesday in front of nearly 1,000 people. The goal? Deliver the pitch of a lifetime.  

While much emphasis is placed on optimizing the front-of-the-house retail experience, improving back-of-the-house operations can also help retailers better meet customers’ evolving expectations – and intelligent lighting systems may be a key to improving those operations.    

Helzberg Diamonds is committed to “making people feel loved.”   By adopting a set of multichannel customer experience management solutions, the jeweler is taking the next step to “wowwing” its shoppers with more personalized customer service cross-channel.