Artificial Intelligence

Robert Howard is the newest partner in the Retail and Consumer Products Group at management consulting firm Kurt Salmon.

I recently had the opportunity to engage in a little 1990s nostalgia by attending a package concert featuring a variety of popular bands from that decade such as Gin Blossoms, Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray. It was a chance to envelop myself in the sights and sounds of a bygone era that stays close to my heart as what some call a “Gen Xer.”

Ikea uses sustainability to drive innovation and shape investments. The company’s latest investment involves a 7.65 megawatt Carrickeeny wind farm, which it plans to purchase from global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power. 

Mainstream has started construction on the project, which is located in Leitrim in the northwest of Ireland and is expected to be operational in early 2014. As part of the deal, Mainstream will operate and maintain the wind farm on behalf of Ikea for its 20-year lifespan.

Transaction marketing firm Affinity Solutions said it hired Richard Bravman as COO and Gary Starr as CFO to capitalize on new opportunities in the growing world of transaction informed marketing solutions.

New York – Despite a slowdown in U.S. retail and consumer merger & acquisition (M&A) activity in second quarter 2013, consumer sentiment and retail sales trends remain positive, along with strong corporate balance sheets and availability of private equity "dry powder," which should help trigger M&A activity during the second half of 2013, according to PwC's U.S. retail and consumer deals insights second quarter 2013 report.

Naperville, Ill. – OfficeMax is speeding up the process of customer segmentation with Monetate LivePredict, an automated segment discovery product designed to automatically identify valuable customer segments and their attributes. Using LivePreict, OfficeMax intends to identify, at the brand and campaign levels, highest and lowest-performing segments.

Facebook is taking another step toward monetizing its vast audience of plugged-in consumers with the planned introduction of paid video ads. As reported in numerous media outlets, Facebook intends to launch 15-second video ads that will play in a user’s newsfeed three times per day for as much $2.5 million per spot.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — nGage Labs, Inc., a leading provider of in-store shopper engagement solutions for retailers, has appointed Peter Charness as president; Nancy Terzolani as SVP of client experience and Larry Negrich as VP of marketing. 

They will be charged with leading the company in its next phase of growth.

Staying on top of emerging supply chain trends is critical in today’s global marketplace. Understanding current trends enables us to stay relevant, remain competitive and manage our businesses proactively, rather than reactively.

Walldorf, Germany -- SAP AG and Hybris announced that SAP has completed the acquisition of Hybris, a leader in commerce technology. The two companies said they plan to combine the omni-channel commerce solutions of Hybris with robust enterprise technology and in-memory, cloud and mobile innovations from SAP to help facilitate new levels of customer insight and engagement.