Artificial Intelligence

Bentonville, Ark. -- Global responsibility and sustainability continue to be priorities for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.  The company filed its proxy statement ahead of its June 5 annual shareholders meeting, and also issued its annual report, and the 2015 Global Responsibility Report and Global Compliance Program Report.

The Global Responsibility Report outlined social and environmental work over the past year.  Accomplishments, according to the company, include:  

Amazon.com’s sales growth in the first quarter continued to outpace the overall e-commerce growth rate, especially Web services, but expenses related to interest and currency exchange caused the online leader to report a $57 million net loss.

Total sales for the quarter ended March 31 increased 15% to $22.72 billion but a strengthening of the U.S. Dollar caused a $1.3 billion currency exchange headwind. On a constant currency basis, which is how global retailers like to analyze their business, sales increased 22%.

For those shoppers who are sick of lugging phone chargers from room to room, Ikea has a solution: The Swedish retailer is launching a new line of home furnishings with wireless chargers.

As smartphones have become an essential part of consumers’ lives, Ikea decided to make the charging function a natural part of the home.

EBay painted a mixed financial picture for the first quarter, with lower revenue from its marketplaces division and higher revenue from its Paypal division, which the company said it plans to spin off later this year.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Shoppers in the United States are in no hurry to buy a wearable device, according to a survey by Carlisle & Gallagher Consulting Group, a business and technology consulting firm exclusively focused on the financial services industry. The findings suggest that future adoption of the technology will be driven by attractiveness, alerts and payments functionality.

Dallas – Waiting in line is probably the least appetizing part of the dining out experience. That is why Chili’s Grill &Bar has selected the NoWait mobile network to power its new mobile waitlisting app.

Rolling out nationwide in summer 2015, NoWait enables guests to search local Chili's restaurants, understand the wait time to be seated and add their names remotely to a restaurant's real-time seating list. Customers will also be able to track their place in line and show up when their table is scheduled to be ready.

By Mark Kirstein, Zebra Technologies

Every brand wants to meet the needs, desires and expectations of today’s consumers. With the explosion of new technologies in the retail space, shoppers have instant access to vast amounts of information dictating every purchasing decision. For retailers to adapt, it’s important for them to first identify the behavioral trends that are gaining momentum in the industry.

Consumer expectations are never-ending