Artificial Intelligence

The revelation that IBM and Apple would be working together on a new range of mobile solutions is a huge development in its own right, but the landmark deal also promises to have a wide-ranging impact on the retail industry.

New York -- Chief marketing officers and chief information officers are working more collaboratively than in the past to take advantage of digital opportunities, but they remain at odds on issues involving how to drive integrated digital marketing solutions for their customers, according to a new study by Accenture.

The report, “Cutting Across the CMO-CIO Divide, reveals  a growing collaboration between CMOs and CIOs – 43% of marketers and 50% of IT leaders think their relationship with the other has improved over the past year.

Tantrum Street has added Roman Kikta, managing partner and founder of Mobility Ventures, to its board, where he will provide strategic guidance for the retail technology startup as it rolls out its Cartwheel Register mobile checkout app and Skip Wallet digital wallet app to the North American market.

New York – L’Oreal cosmetics brand Urban Decay has partnered with Compare Metrics to launch its online product discovery solution. The Compare Metrics solution for Urban Decay includes content curation, adaptive navigation and shopping scenarios. 

Recent announcements that Apple will partner with IBM to release more than 100 mobile iOS applications tailored to work with IBM’s data analytics and cloud services, and that Microsoft will focus on digital work innovation in its smartphone segment, serve as reminders that mobile devices are continuing to evolve. Increasingly, mobile devices are offering features that make it easier for retailers to position advanced computational and analytical power at the point of customer contact. Here are three ways upcoming changes in the capabilities of mobile devices will affect retail.

Shoemaker Steve Madden is partnering with omnichannel personalization company Certona to tailor shoppers’ experiences online.

“We are proud to add Steve Madden to our roster of fashion clients,” Certona CEO Meyar Sheik said. “Certona will enable Steve Madden to best connect and engage with their loyal community while delivering the most personalized customer experiences across their touchpoints.”

New York -- Greg Buzek, president of IHL, which tracks mobile spending and forecasts for the retail and hospitality markets, offers analysis on the recently announced IBM-Apple partnership:
 
If IBM and Apple for retail were people on Facebook right now, the relationship status would say “It’s complicated."

Walmart chief information officer Karenann Terrell will headline a first of its kind technology conference next month in Northwest Arkansas organized by the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce.