Artificial Intelligence

New York -- As women age, they find the shopping experience less enjoyable, according to a survey by global design consultancy Fitch. The study finds that the most fulfilled female shopper is between 16 and 24 years of age, suggesting that shops are designed for the young.

“There is a big opportunity for retailers to redress the balance and improve all our shopping experiences — which is better for business and better for shoppers,” said Tim Greenhalgh, chief creative officer office, Fitch.

With the increasing popularity of mobile devices and social networks, managing the omni-channel experience will be a key priority for retailers this holiday season. Leading experts say that retailers need to update their legacy technology systems to handle the large amounts of data being generated by these channels.

Starbucks Coffee Company is participating in a pilot project designed to encourage employees to identify strategies that will reduce the amount of energy required to run the stores while not impacting customer service.

Widespread media reports have Walmart discontinuing the sale of Amazon’s popular Kindle devices, which begs the questions what took so long and will we ever see a Walmart tablet.

Walmart’s decision to begin selling the Kindle was one of the more wrong-headed moves the company has ever made. A Kindle is Amazon’s version of a Gillette razor, essentially a device that provides consumers a portal to purchase Amazon’s other inventory, or in Gillette’s case, more blades. Target wisely gave Kindle the boot earlier this year.

Austin, Texas -- SecureNet Payment Systems, a leader in payment processing technology, announced it has opened a new technology and innovation center in Austin, Texas, and revealed plans for a client operations center in Silicon Valley, Calif., later this year. SecureNet is expanding its footprint to house its growing staff, attract top talent and continue its close collaboration with clients in providing the most innovative single source/multi-channel solutions in the payments industry.  

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.