Artificial Intelligence

Redwood Shores, Calif. – Join Oracle Retail VP of strategy Andrea Morgan-Vandome on Tuesday Jan. 6 at noon ET as she shares the new developments of 14.1 combined with functionality through the acquisition of Micros. In this interactive webinar, attendees will hear first-hand how Oracle is able to delve deeper into mission-critical initiatives and offer retail-rich functionality.  

As 2014 draws to a close, it’s time to look back on another year of technological disruption in retail. While many solutions, applications and tools played a role in changing how retailers use technology in their business, three developments in particular stood out. Two of them did not actually launch in 2014, but this was the year they truly achieved their disruptive potential. So read on, and have a happy, prosperous and innovative New Year!   ApplePay

Female executives make their mark on the world of retail IT

It’s no secret that neither the retail industry nor the technology industry has exactly achieved parity when it comes to granting women access to top-level decision-making positions. According to a report from IIC Partners, 64% of retailers said their senior executive team was less than 25% female — despite the fact that women drive a whopping 85% of all consumer purchases.

Women are famously underrepresented in technology.

There’s been no shortage of developments in retail payments this past year. From high-profile data breaches forcing retailers to reconsider their security strategy, to the launch of Apple Pay bringing mobile to the forefront, both retailers and consumers have been paying unprecedented attention to their transactions.

With innovative players entering the fold and the U.S. payments infrastructure upgrade well under way, the industry is poised for a shift over the next several years.

The 2014 holiday season has shown how shoppers’ growing preference for e-commerce can be challenging for retailers. By offering customers free shipping and ever-faster delivery, and by handling the higher rates of return that often come with e-commerce, retailers potentially face either reduced profit margins or loss in market share if they don’t keep up with customer preferences.

As they plan for 2015, many retailers will consider how they can provide a seamless customer experience that fundamentally helps them to maintain or improve profit margins.

Technology will give fraudsters an edge in 2015, but it will also provide new tools for organizations and investigators, according to three experts from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) who were asked for their top fraud predictions for 2015. The experts weighed in on digital currencies, information security and other issues that will help shape the effort to prevent and detect fraud in the new year:  

Sarasota, Florida - The Mall at University Town Center, located in Sarasota, Florida, and owned by Taubman, has launched a free app designed to make shopping easier and more personalized. The free "Mall at UTC" iOS mobile shopping app offers first-of-its-kind indoor navigation technology developed by SPREO. The app is being piloted at UTC now, but is scheduled to roll out to Taubman properties across the U.S. over the next year.    

Redwood Shores, Calif. - Jill Puleri will join Oracle Corp. as senior VP and general manager, Oracle Retail. Having held various leadership positions in sales, marketing and consulting, Puleri brings more than 20 years of experience in the retail industry, most recently serving as the worldwide retail industry leader for IBM Global Business Services.   Puleri will be responsible for leading the Oracle Retail Global Business Unit and report to Mike Webster, Oracle's senior VP and general manager, retail and hospitality.