Artificial Intelligence

It has been fascinating to watch the back and forth in recent weeks as competing systems for mobile payment have suddenly been grabbing headlines and jockeying for space in the public consciousness.  

Framingham, Mass. -- By 2017, three times as many retailers as now will explicitly underpin their customer and operations strategies on 3rd platform technologies. That’s one of IDC Retail Insights’ top 10 worldwide retail predictions for 2015. IDC  revealed the predictions during a Web conference, IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Retail Agenda 2015 Predictions.        

The pre-owned luxury goods auction platform Worthy.com has added new functionality to its live auction experience for sellers.

For the first time ever, sellers auctioning their luxury watches and jewelry online can watch their auction as it unfolds, while having access to the high-definition photos and professional description of the item being auctioned, according to Worthy.

Bedford, Mass. -- Almost 50% of consumers have fallen victim to at least one data breach and 45% say they are not confident they know all instances of when their personal information has been leaked. However, according to a survey conducted by RSA, the security division of EMC, in conjunction with the Ponemon Institute of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, in many cases behaviors toward security have not changed.  

Mobile technology is increasingly being used in all areas of the enterprise to create a truly seamless customer experience that starts in the back office and extends across all touchpoints. Samuel Mueller, CEO of Scandit, developer of a software-based barcode scanning solution and suite of mobile apps, recently discussed with Chain Store Age how mobile solutions are affecting every part of the retail enterprise.

San Francisco –- New Seasons Market (NSM) is deploying the new Index online commerce personalization solution at its stores to deliver end-to-end security and personalized customer experiences. The collaboration with Index provides NSM with a real-time understanding of customer behavior while helping to deliver relevant product recommendations and shopping experiences that savvy consumers now expect both online and offline.

By Paul Rauker, VP of systems and controls at Daikin Applied  

By Jeremy Geiger, Retailigence   The headline is bold, but yes, 2014 is the year of hyperlocal mobile advertising, and there are three very important trends converging today to make this happen.   The first is smartphone proliferation; according to eMarketer, smartphone users worldwide will total nearly 2 billion in 2014.