Artificial Intelligence

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Describing  cyberspace as the new "wild, wild West," President Barack Obama on Friday said that while everyone expects the government to be the sheriff, the private sector must do more to stop cyberattacks. He also called for the passage of a single national standard requiring consumers to be notified within 30 days if their financial or personal data is stolen.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, defended the consumer’s right to privacy and security on Friday in remarks at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection.

By Michelle A. Thompson, Director, Learning, Home Depot University

How do you mold a large workforce with a significant part-time segment into experts in home improvement so customers get the answers they need every time they walk in the doors of The Home Depot?

It requires committed associates, strong leaders, and innovative learning solutions.

Here are five retail trends to expect in 2015 — and the opportunity each trend presents — from the folks at T1Visions, a provider of interactive touch-screen technology.

1. Stores as Experiences = opportunity to create new ways to interact with product; focus on experience over the sale; customize the experience whenever and wherever possible.

A few years ago, the Fitbit exploded onto the wearables market, and the idea that you could track your physical data throughout the day became the latest fad for health buffs.

Editor Katherine Boccaccio interviews Buxton's Senior Vice Preseident, Bill Stinneford, at NRF's Big Show 2015.

An agreement between Mobiquity Networks and personal shopping concierge service ShopAdvisor is giving retailers intriguing new options to drive sales by serving offers to shoppers predisposed to purchase certain products. 

By Deepak Advani, IBM Commerce

The 2014 NFL season is over and teams have shifted focus from the Super Bowl to what’s next. This assessment requires a detailed examination of their rosters, where money was spent and what investments produced the desired outcome. It’s this same exercise that advertisers must do right now, especially those that dropped $4.5 million for a 30-second spot during the big game.

London – U.K. digital department store retailer Shop Direct is moving to a hybrid cloud model, hosted by IBM, to increase flexibility and quickly respond to changes in demand as it grows. IBM’s cloud will underpin the delivery of a suite of analytics, mobile, social and security offerings that will enable Shop Direct to improve its customers’ online shopping experience while empowering its workforce to collaborate more easily and improve productivity.

Traditional preprint circulars continue to dominate many retailers’ promotional offerings but digital coupon momentum is accelerating judging from strong 2014 results at Coupons.com.

Total revenue in the company’s fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014 increased 14% to $60 million and full year revenue increased 32% to $221.8 million. Total digital coupon transactions in 2014 increased 23% to 1.6 billion.