Artificial Intelligence

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) convened its 31st annual Supply Chain Conference earlier this week. RILA’s Caroline Stec provided a recap of an event which drew record attendance.

Discount grocer Aldi has deployed an energy management solution that gives it control and visibility across its nearly 1,500 U.S. stores.

The chain has implemented Siemens’ Site Controls energy management system, with the majority of the installations involving retrofits at existing stores where thermostats or third-party energy management systems were replaced. But the system has been deployed in newly constructed stores as well. Aldi will also install the Site Controls system in new stores as it continues to expand across the nation.

Online retailer Wayfair Inc. is putting a digital spin on that most traditional of selling vehicles: the paper catalog.

Young girls are notoriously picky about what they wear, and now someone is doing something about it.

Kidpik, a new online shopping service aimed at girls age 3-12 (and their parents), offers curated, personalized fashion collections. Girls initially fill out an interactive quiz about their apparel preferences, and based on the results are assigned a look such as Girly Girl, Modest or Classic Chic.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Inland Real Estate Investment Corp. has been named a finalist of this year’s InformationWeek Elite 100, a list of the top business technology innovators in the U.S. Inland Investments has also been selected as a finalist for a Business Innovator award in the category of Cloud Services.

The abandoned shopping cart rate for mobile shoppers approximates an astounding 97%, according to some estimates. Clearly, this hair-raising stat proves consumers’ deep disappointment with mobile commerce.

Young girls are notoriously picky about what they wear, and a new online shopping service founded by the former chairman and CEO of A Children’s Place is looking to do something about it.