Artificial Intelligence

Walldorf, Germany – SAP AG is releasing cloud-based Rapid Deployment solutions designed to simplify deployments and move existing SAP applications to the cloud with best practices in a predictable manner that helps minimize business disruption while new solutions are implemented. SAP Rapid Deployment solutions follow a universally applicable approach for customers deploying across the cloud, on premise or in hybrid landscapes.

Digital River, a leading global provider of commerce-as-a-service solutions, has appointed Jeffrey Katz to its board of directors.

A technology and travel industry veteran, Katz recently served as the CEO of Wize Commerce, a global leader in online monetization and traffic acquisition technologies. He was the founding CEO, chairman and president of Orbitz from 2000 to 2004.
 

Land O'Lakes' initiative to leverage technology to manage risk associated with weather and climate change will be part of a conversation this week focused on food security and climate change that brings together experts from the public and private sectors.

Chicago - Renewed consumer spending is in line with pre-recession trends and consumer optimism is higher than it's been in years. In 2013, Mintel estimates that personal consumption expenditures on consumer goods reached $10 trillion for the first time.

San Bruno, Calif. – Wal-Mart is reportedly planning to substantially expand its e-commerce operation based in Sunnyvale, California. According to the Oakland Tribune, Wal-Mart intends to add hundreds of staffers to its global e-commerce unit there, bringing the total number of e-commerce employees to about 1,000.

In addition, Wal-Mart will lease a 107,000-sq.-ft. space in Sunnyvale to help house its e-commerce operations. Currently, the retailer employs about 550 e-commerce employees in Sunnyvale at an existing facility it will maintain.

Greenwich, Conn. – Merger and acquisition (M&A) dealflow in the retail mobile payment sector has risen 500% between 2009 and 2013, while investment dealflow has grown 300%. According to data from Mooreland Partners, a mid-market investment bank specializing in technology deals, there were 232 M&A deals in this sector from 2009-213, and 259 from 1999-2013.

San Francisco - Swift Communications, a multi-platform publisher based in Carson City, Nevada, is making a strategic investment in Engage3, a retail intelligence and digital marketing solution provider. The two companies are also working together to identify retailer and supplier partners in the markets Swift serves to drive additional consumer value.

The amount of the investment, which closed earlier this month and will be used to expand the features of Engage3’s solutions, was not released.

Shelfbucks, a leading iBeacon promotion platform for retail stores, has appointed retail industry veteran Bill Martin, founder of ShopperTrak, as chairman of its board of directors.

Martin will oversee Shelfbucks' growth in the retail sector, guiding the company's strategic planning, operations and marketing efforts.