Artificial Intelligence

Palo Alto, Calif. – Aisle411, a mobile retail navigation service, announced the acquisition of WiLocate’s technology assets to provide precise indoor positioning information, expanding Aisle411’s in-store search and navigation offering. As part of the deal, Aisle411 has also acquired multiple patents pending.

Atlanta -- The “True Cost of Fraud” study by LexisNexis found that retailers incurred $2.70 in costs for every dollar in fraudulent transactions. The cost incorporates charge backs for merchandise, the fees and interest to financial institutions and payment processors as well as any replacement, redistribution or restocking fees incurred by a merchant.  

Brad Anderson was named to the board of LightHaus, a provider of shopper insights based on video analytics.

BUCKEYE, Ariz. — Walmart boosted its sustainable reputation Thursday with the announcement of a new solar initiative at its distribution center near Phoenix.

The retailer will outfit the DC with more than 14,000 solar panels -- making it Walmart's largest solar installation to date. The panels will cover the 1,000 sq. ft. building and parking canopies. The panels will produce up to 30% of the center's energy needs and generate up to 5.3 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy per year, according to Walmart.

By William Dudley, [email protected]

We, as a consumer society, are increasingly becoming “mail-order,” or more precisely, online patrons.  Companies such as Amazon, Ebay, Overstock.com, and other specialty retailers are putting increased pressure on traditional brick and mortar shops by offering customers mobile-friendly apps and browsers, adding convenience to their shopping experience.  

AT&T’s new flagship, on Chicago's Magnificent Mile, is designed to immerse customers in everything AT&T. The 10,000-sq.-ft. store, at 600 N. Michigan Ave., also offers shoppers a peak into the future, with the first-ever retail demonstrations of the company’s new digital home security and automation services. It also features a connected car (a 2012 Nissan Leaf) that is used to demonstrate how wireless technology can help driving.

Thursday, September 13 at 9 a.m. central time is the start date for another one of Walmart’s sustainability milestone meetings. The company uses the gatherings, Webcast from its home office auditorium, to highlight a wide range of environmental initiatives that increasingly contribute to efforts to operate more efficiently.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — MasterCard  has acquired Truaxis, Inc., a Silicon Valley, California-based provider of relevant credit and debit card-linked offers to consumers through merchants and financial institutions.

New York -- Fashion and technology combine to surprise customers and engage them in new ways at Bloomingdale’s flagship in New York City and other locations across the country.  The department store retailer had deployed a 3D virtual dressing room, called Swivel, which is supported by Microsoft Corp.’s Kinect for Windows motion sensing technology. With Swivel, customers can “try on” clothes without having to go through the actual physical process.

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers and Real Mex Restaurants said Thursday the pair has executed a software licensing agreement that will bring the PeopleAnswers HR solution to Real Mex for pre-screening, selecting and hiring managers.