Artificial Intelligence

San Jose, Calif. -- Software as a service search provider SLI Systems said that retailer Scarsdale, N.Y.-based Zachys Wine & Liquor has put in place SLI’s cloud services and has seen online conversions and per-visit value nearly double that of the site average.

According to SLI, Zachys saw use of its search box by visitors increase one third and is now looking to expand its use of SLI's learning-based services to include site navigation pages as a revenue-boosting strategy.

New York -- Motorola Solutions has launched a new unified indoor locationing platform designed to help retailers boost customer engagement. The company’s MPact Platform for Mobile Marketing breaks new ground by using both WI-FI and Bluetooth Smart technology to engage with shoppers in store aisles by offering them customized offers and sales assistance.

360pi, the leader in retail price and product intelligence, today announced a collaborative effort with SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services. The goal is to allow retailers who combine 360pi's industry-leading competitive price intelligence with SAS' Revenue Optimization engine to gain full real-time visibility into competitive pricing to make more profitable pricing decisions.

New York -- Google has purchased analytics firm Adometry, which helps advertisers get a better return on digital advertising by providing better attribution on the data collected about ads, including whether an ad was viewed, and whether it led to a sale.

Here is the statement from the Google Analytics team:

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM has introduced comprehensive new security software and services to help organizations protect their critical data in an environment where advanced persistent threats, zero day attacks, breaches, and the financial impact on an organization continue to rise.

According to two IBM-commission studies, the average cost of a data breach increased by 15%, reaching an average of $3.5 million. The majority of companies surveyed say targeted attacks are the greatest threat, costing them on average $9.4 million in brand equity alone.

When it comes to success in retail, the old mantra of “location, location, location” has been largely replaced by “customer, customer, customer.” That was one of the themes of the SPECS workshop session, “It’s All in the Demographics.”

“Yes, it’s about demographics, but it’s more than demographics. It’s about the lifestyle embedded in the demographics,” explained Bill Stinneford, executive VP retail, Buxton, Fort Worth, Texas, which provides customer analytics for site selection, marketing and e-commerce.

Lighting plays a critical role in retail, and is rapidly evolving to meet changing regulations and customer needs. Dr. Laura Prestwood Thompson, director of the TCU Center for Lighting Education, Texas Christian University, discussed how stores and restaurants in 2025 will light their interiors and looked at the technologies and trends that will impact retail lighting during the SPECS workshop session, “Lighting 2025.”

“The quality of light is key,” Thompson said. “You create an aesthetic for your brand that impacts the customer experience.”

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning technology is in the midst of a dramatic evolution brought on by a variety of factors, including regulations, retailers’ needs for technological sophistication, operational and cost efficiency, and ease of implementation and use. These and other topics were discussed in the SPECS session, “Evolution, Revolution: The Future of HVAC and Refrigeration.”

Session moderator Bob Keingstein, president of Boss Facility Services, asked panelists to discuss several pointed questions focused on different key areas of the evolution of HVAC.

Technology is no longer the sole province of “IT geeks,” or even marketers and finance executives — it is also now a focal point of such operational departments as store planning, energy management, construction management and real estate.

In recognition of the huge impact technology is having on store operations, SPECS 2014 held a series of hands-on tech boot camps, with the first one devoted to design, development and facilities, the second to operational technology, and the third to social media trends and tools.

By Sunil Mirani, CEO, Ugam