Artificial Intelligence

Residents of the Washington, D.C., metro area can now have products ordered from supermarket operator Harris Teeter delivered within the hour following Instacart’s entry into the market.

Instacart’s network of personal shoppers began delivering items ordered from Harris Teeter on Feb. 11. The service provider expects to add other retailers in the coming weeks which would allow shoppers to combine items from multiple stores in a single order and have them delivered in as little as one hour.

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. announced it has purchased the assets of YOU Technology Brand Services, the Silicon Valley-based provider of digital coupons and promotions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com has promoted one executive to the position of senior VP, general counsel and also promoted four other executives to VP positions. The company named VP and general counsel Mark Griffin to the position of senior VP and general counsel, and promoted four other executives to VP.

It’s no secret that today’s teens and twenty-somethings have grown up on social media and see it as an extension of their everyday lives. But retailers who think they can just display a bunch of wares on a social media page and attract Millennial shoppers are sadly mistaken. A panel of five exceptionally bright and well-spoken Millennial consumers ages 16-21 (all offspring of prominent retail IT figures) at the recent Retail ROI “Super Saturday” event in New York gave some frank insight into how Millennials view social media.

By David Weinberger, CBX

Demand forecasting, inventory allocation and replenishment — the unsung building blocks of every successful retail enterprise — have gained a new level of respect with retailers striving to deliver the omnichannel experience shoppers demand.

Toronto -- Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor are offering True Fit’s fit personalization technology to consumers at TheBay.com and LordandTaylor.com. In less than 60 seconds, consumers can create a True Fit profile at either site, enabling them to get a personal fit rating and size recommendation for every style.

Sport Chek has opened a flagship in the largest shopping mall in North America: West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The sporting goods retailer has woven interactive technology and digital installations throughout the 80,000-sq.-ft. space, which is designed to offer a personalized shopping experience that connects consumers to the sports they are passionate about.