Artificial Intelligence

The idea of pure play retail has evaporated. Retail’s continuing transformation and complex landscape now centers on the convergence of digital and physical channels, otherwise known as “digical.” The industry can no longer talk about analytics in isolation anymore – the shopper’s journey is channel-agnostic and retailers are in catch-up mode.

Austin, Texas -- The importance of technology is highlighted in a promotion at Whole Foods Market.

Whole Foods has promoted Jason Buechel from global VP to executive VP and CIO. As an executive VP, he is now a member of the executive management team at the company.

Retail intelligence provider ChannelIQ helps brands cope with e-commerce complexity and it just bolstered its ability to do so with a key hire from the consumer packaged goods world.

Foot Locker Inc. has chosen a new IT chief to drive the company's next generation of technological advances.

The retailer has appointed Pawan Verma as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, effective Aug. 10. Verma succeeds Peter Brown, who retired in April after 38 years with the company.
Verma will oversee the company's global information technology functions and infrastructure, and provide leadership and vision to align technology with strategic business initiatives. 

Facebook is preparing to make a change on Instagram that will have a big impact on social shopping and retailers.

As more retailers embrace the reverse trajectory of opening an online store first and a physical store second, the beauty industry is leading the way.

E-commerce has been the fastest-growing retail channel in the U.S. beauty market, with a compound annual growth rate of 24% since 2009, the Kline Group reported on Tuesday. And more of these online retailers are opening physical stores.

WOONSOCKET, R.I., and ARMONK, N.Y. — CVS Health and IBM on Thursday announced they will use predictive analytics and Watson cognitive computing for care management services for patients with chronic disease.

Hangzhou, China – A week after unveiling a cloud protection plan and releasing more than 60 new cloud products and solutions through its cloud computing subsidiary Aliyun, Alibaba is not standing still.

The Chinese Internet giant is firmly staking a claim in the cloud with the planned investment of an additional $1 billion to fuel further growth at Aliyun.