Artificial Intelligence

A central theme of the Oracle Industry Connect conference, held in Boston March 25-26, was “Commerce Anywhere,” or the new customer experience paradigm that requires enabling the consumer to purchase products how they want, when they want and to do so in a connected, nearly seamless fashion. IT also entails delivering targeted assortments, making inventory transparent and accessible to customers and employees in real-time, and integrating the systems supporting retail operations.

New York -- Facebook has seen the future — through 3D goggles. The social media giant has reached an agreement to acquire hot virtual reality technology start-up Oculus VR for $2 billion. The deal is comprised of $400 million in cash and 23.1 million shares of Facebook stock.  

iBeacons, the Apple iOS 7 technological feature that uses low-frequency Bluetooth transmissions to help mobile devices track their position relative to stationary beacons, are getting quite a bit of attention from retailers and the IT vendors who serve them. Each beacon has a unique ID that lets mobile devices tell different beacons apart.

Florham Park, N.J. -- Kalibrate Technologies (formerly KSS Fuels) announced that convenience-store operator Wawa has purchased the Kalibrate PriceNet fuel pricing system and will implement a roll-out across the chain’s entire network of 382 fuel sites.

Wawa will utilize the full capabilities of PriceNet, which includes 24/7 automation of pricing, full integration to the sites, robust analytics to determine optimal pump prices and mobile functionality on smartphones and tablets.

Boston -- The single biggest challenge for retailers is to understand, empower and represent the digitally empowered consumer across all touch points, according to new research from Oracle.

Phoenix – Accellos is releasing AccellosOne Enterprise 3PL version 4.0, which is built on the AccellosOne Platform version 3.0. This release focuses on a new user experience, work centers, cloud e-learning, and advanced functionality in event management, workflow engine, reporting, supply chain intelligence, and quality inspection.

Some of the highlights of AccellosOne Enterprise 3PL include:

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group is launching a new business, Simon Venture Group, that will invest in retail innovation, focusing on technology opportunities that enhance the shopping experience.

"We believe we have only scratched the surface on applying technology to the retail environment in innovative, interesting ways," said Mikael Thygesen, chief marketing officer of Simon Property Group.

Indianapolis — Simon Property Group has launched a new dedicated Simon Venture Group, a business that will invest in retail innovation, with a focus on opportunities that enhance the shopping experience.

Mikael Thygesen, chief marketing officer of Simon Property Group said: "We believe we have only scratched the surface on applying technology to the retail environment in innovative, interesting ways."