Artificial Intelligence

Facebook wants to reinvent how consumers talk to retailers
New York -- Facebook hopes to transform the way customers communicate with retailers by re-inventing the customer service platform. Facebook and its partner Zendesk, a customer service platform firm, are teaming up to allow businesses to provide scalable and responsive customer service to the more than 600 million people worldwide who use Facebook's popular Messenger app. The social media giant is inviting retailers and other companies to develop software that allows customers to communicate instantly with them through Messenger.
Risk-Averse Strip Mall Landlords Seek 'Internet-Proof' Renters in Smaller Spaces
By Neil Axler

“You can’t get your nails done online, you can’t get dry cleaning done online and you can’t eat the Internet.” These are the dominant themes from retail clients (property owners) over the last few years. Today’s shopping center acquirers are looking for “necessity centers” with a stable rent roll. These centers consist of restaurants, nail salons and other destination retail that is not competing with e-commerce.

Ikea installing fuel cell system that convert biogas into electricity

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea announced plans to install a fuel cell system at its location in Emeryville, California. Consistent with the retailer’s focus on emerging energy technologies, is the first Ikea in the world to convert biogas into electricity through a clean electro-chemical process. The fuel cell system will be installed, commissioned and activated by this summer, 2015.

Ikea contracted Bloom Energy, Sunnyvale, California, for the design, development and installation of the fuel system.
Five Actions To Take Immediately After a Cyber Attack

By Todd Weller, Hexis Cyber Solutions

For retailers, it’s now no longer a matter of “if” you will be compromised by a cyberattack, but “when” you will be. But they can mitigate the impact of attacks now and in the future by preparing a response plan with policy-based automation.
Retail cybersecurity center launches intelligence sharing portal

Washington, D.C. - The Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center has expanded the capabilities of its Retail Information Sharing Analysis Center (Retail ISAC) with the establishment of an intelligence sharing portal managed by the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC).
Sephora enhances loss prevention with Vector

San Francisco – Sephora has chosen Vector Security as its partner while it focuses on technology upgrades to enhance loss prevention in its North American locations. Those upgrades include migration from analog to IP cameras, as well as conversion to newer alarm panels and electronic article surveillance (EAS) technologies.
Deliv CEO dishes on same day, omnichannel

The e-commerce world in which Deliv CEO Daphne Carmeli lives is one where the fastest delivery method is also the least expensive. How can that be?
Kirkland’s Home overhauls planning with Oracle

Chapel Hill, N.C. - Kirkland's Home has overhauled its planning architecture and strategy with a customized, automated assortment planning solution based on Oracle technology. Replacing a previous manual planning system, Oracle implementer Veltio configured the Kirkland's assortment planning solution to address the retailer’s specific challenges.
Exclusive: A look at Quay Valley

By Roy Higgs
Omnichannel inversion: When clicks meet bricks

Digital-first doesn’t mean digital-only. At least not anymore. Some brands have already embraced that lesson in a bold way, and many others are taking notice.
4 things every retailer needs to know about mobile

The rapid changes in the digital and mobile world are radically affecting consumer behavior, disrupting traditional means of retailer/consumer interaction and influencing buying behavior and payment options in an unprecendented way.

Capitalizing on these technological innovations means keeping a close eye on the ways in which innovations in technology are turning the retail world upside down. There is no better way to do this than attend Mobile World Congress.
SPECS 2015: Three Store Planning Innovation Takeways

Chain Store Age hosted its 51st annual SPECS 2015 conference on March 15-17, in Las Vegas. Here are three takeways from the conference concerning technological innovation in the store planning area:

1. Overflowing Shelves are the Enemy
For most brick-and-mortar retailers, having shelves chock full of merchandise with every possible variation (such as size and color) is the definition of successful merchandising. But in actuality, overflowing shelves leave store associates too busy to assist customers, who are left overwhelmed.