Artificial Intelligence

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

ATLANTA, Ga. — Vir2o, a new social media platform by East Coast Diversified Corporation, has announced that its online, interactive e-commerce engine is open for business and powered by Amazon. 

Members of the aStore will be able to browse through a wide range of products and shop online with friends in their network in real time, thanks to ECDC's nVite technology. ECDC's proprietary nVite technology also lets Vir2o members watch movies together and share photos in real time.

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.

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers announced a software licensing agreement for David’s Bridal to use the PeopleAnswers HR-focused business solution to improve in-store sales performance with higher quality team members.