Artificial Intelligence

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.

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.  

By Roy Higgs

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.

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.

The Next Big Thing in e-commerce is set to launch in late May according to Marc Lore, CEO of a new online Marketplace called Jet that blends aspects of the traditional warehouse club model with a new approach to dynamic pricing and fulfillment.

Lore said the Jet board of directors is scheduled to meet on May 7. At that time he expects the platform will be ready for launch and the board will pick a specific launch date within the following two week window.

A few months ago it seemed as though drone delivery was not going to happen for Amazon.com. Now the retailer's dreams of Amazon packages flying through the sky are a lot closer to reality, thanks to the FAA. 

Amazon.com has received preliminary approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to research, develop and test drone delivery -- but that doesn't mean customers can expect their orders to arrive by drone anytime soon.

New York -- Facebook Inc. is adding a new feature to its popular Messenger instant messaging service that will give users the ability to send money to friends. The Messenger app, which separated from Facebook’s main application in 2014, is one of the largest platforms in the world, with a reported 700 million users.

The new payments tool will be rolled out in the coming months in the United States for desktop computers and Google’s and Apple’s mobile platform. Facebook reportedly built the tool in house.