Artificial Intelligence

Bonn, Germany -- Mobile commerce and gamification are two of the leading trends shaping the future of e-commerce. A new report from Deutsche Post DHL, “The Future of E-commerce in the U.S.,” identifies eight trends driving qualitative changes in e-commerce beyond rapid growth. A brief summary of each trend follows.

Richfield, Minn. -- Best Buy Canada is attempting to combat showrooming in its stores with the 360pi 360mobile solution. The solution provides real-time data on competitors’ pricing to Best Buy Canada store associates, allowing them to better anticipate and respond to customer requests for discounts.

Robert Howard is the newest partner in the Retail and Consumer Products Group at management consulting firm Kurt Salmon.

By Ron Menich, Ph.D., EVP and chief scientist, Predictix

Wherever you turn today, Big Data is impacting every facet of society and business — and retail is no exception. For example, consider the impact of weather patterns on retail sales.

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Oracle Corp. is launching version 13.3 of its Retail Allocation solution that is designed to deliver real-time inventory levels along with sales and planning information for better assortment planning. Oracle Retail Allocation 13.3 uses embedded business intelligence and multiple data sources to support role-based dashboards that give recommendations based on the entire lifecycle of a product.

SEATTLE — Amazon Web Services, Inc., an Amazon.com company, has unveiled a cross-platform notification service called Amazon Simple Notification Service with Mobile Push that allows mobile apps to proactively keep their users aware of critical events and relevant information.

I recently had the opportunity to engage in a little 1990s nostalgia by attending a package concert featuring a variety of popular bands from that decade such as Gin Blossoms, Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray. It was a chance to envelop myself in the sights and sounds of a bygone era that stays close to my heart as what some call a “Gen Xer.”

Ikea uses sustainability to drive innovation and shape investments. The company’s latest investment involves a 7.65 megawatt Carrickeeny wind farm, which it plans to purchase from global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power. 

Mainstream has started construction on the project, which is located in Leitrim in the northwest of Ireland and is expected to be operational in early 2014. As part of the deal, Mainstream will operate and maintain the wind farm on behalf of Ikea for its 20-year lifespan.