Artificial Intelligence

Barnes & Noble wants its shoppers to celebrate innovation and creativity by hosting its first ever "Maker Faire."

The nation’s largest retail bookseller has formed a new partnership with Maker Media, publisher of Make: magazine and producer of Maker Faire, to launch the first-ever Mini Maker Faire in stores nationwide. The retailer is asking shoppers to participate at their local Barnes & Noble store the weekend of Nov. 6-8 to share their inventions, ideas and more.

This year’s annual fall Apple event did not offer retailers anything quite as dramatic as last year’s introduction of Apple Pay and Apple Watch. However, there were still a few announcements with potential impact on the omnichannel landscape.

TV, or Not TV

Today’s customers are firmly in charge of the buying process. The Internet allows them to research products and prices at the click of a button, and in most cases, they are better informed about what’s available in the marketplace than the associates in brick-and-mortar stores. And, the retail environment is more crowded – and less personalized – than ever before.

Foster City, Calif. – Financial services provider Visa Inc. is among the lead investors in a $30 million round of equity funding for a blockchain technology provider.

Staples Inc. has been a place to get printing done since it opened in the 1980s, but now the retailer is taking printing to a whole new level.
 

Arlington, Va. -- A report says that only one in five debit and credit cards are ready for the EMV shift.

As retailers spend billions to upgrade their point of sale terminals to accept new chip cards before the Oct. 1 liability shift deadline, the nation’s largest card network acknowledged that a staggering number of magnetic “swipe” cards have not been replaced with new cards.

Framingham,, Mass. – Staples Inc. has been a place to get printing done since it opened in the 1980s, but now the retailer is taking printing to a whole new level.
 
Starting Sept. 14, Staples, is offering a new online 3D printing platform, which will let small businesses and consumers upload their own 3D designs or select from a curated assortment of models.

San Francisco -- Come October, consumers will be able to buy clothing and other goods on their Apple TV.

In its never-ending quest to wind its way deeper into people’s homes, Apple Inc. on Wednesday unveiled a new version of its Apple TV, the set-top box device that lets viewers stream live video through such sources as Netflix and Hulu. In the most talked-about update, the device will now come with its own App Store, featuring apps for TV and video viewing, games, sports — and shopping.