Artificial Intelligence

Although mobile payment is still very much an emerging technology, the next stage of its evolution is occurring. The introduction of Apple Pay is September 2014 could be said to be mobile payment’s introduction as a mainstream technology, and the landscape has been steadily shifting since then.

Here are three key ways mobile payment is changing before the industry’s eyes.

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This year's Sweets & Snacks Expo attendees will be treated to panel discussions by experts from the Consumer Electronics Show, Canadean, and the Center for Advancing Retail & Technology.

All three sessions on the latest advancements taking place in retail will be held at the Expo’s new Discovery Theater located in Skyline Hall, which will host more than 130 new exhibitors and is home to “Innovation Avenue”.

The forces of disruption influencing so much of retail have finally arrived at one of the industry’s most tradition-bound segments. Retail trade events have changed little the past 20 years, but a new event called Shoptalk (May 16-18) is reimagining every aspect of the concept. Event co-founder and chairman Anil Aggarwal spoke with Retailing Today about Shoptalk, what it is, what it isn’t and how he plans to create a community of commerce innovators.

RT: What is Shoptalk?

Niemann Foods, a 100-plus-store independent supermarket chain headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, is individually engaging customers wherever they are.

An emerging consumer demographic is showing strong support for an emerging trend in transactions.

A new GfK study of 1,000 U.S. consumers shows that Generation Z (ages 18 to 24) is twice as likely to make a mobile payment as the total population. Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices account for just 3% of all transactions in the U.S. – but 7% among Gen Z.

Imagine if the type of products consumers normally buy at the last minute represented your product assortment.

For Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Canada, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based specialty vertical candy retailer with about 68 Canadian stores, this is the reality of the store environment.

Target Corp. is tapping into the startup community in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley to gain a merchandising edge.

The retailer is launching a series of “Demo Days” aimed at discovering interesting new “smart” products from startup companies. The program kicked off on Feb. 23, with Target inviting 12 startups to its office near Silicon Valley to pitch “smart baby” products. Each company had 20 minutes to showcase its products and receive real-time feedback from Target.

A diversified service offering that includes interior and exterior signage, lighting, specialty contracting and facilities maintenance gives ImageOne Industries an up-close look at the evolving retail scene. Chain Store Age spoke with ImageOne Industries president Jim Mikula about some of the trends the company is seeing.

What trends are you seeing in retail signage and graphics?