Artificial Intelligence

Wading through retail technological innovations and deciding what options and applications should be top priority can be daunting at best. But the opportunities clearly outweigh the challenges, said Epicor Solutions’ Douglas Taylor in an interview with Chain Store Age.

What are the biggest operational challenges facing retailers today?

Retailers and other building owners are caught between two powerful and conflicting forces: the need to lower energy and equipment costs, and the need to meet or exceed outdoor air ventilation regulations for the health and comfort of customers and employees alike. Indeed, studies have proven that outdoor air ventilation creates a healthier work environment. However, as outdoor air rates increase, so does the size, cost and operating expense of HVAC systems.

Macys.com has made a name for itself by analyzing consumer data to gain insight into its loyal shopper base. The retailer, which features more than 60,000 products online and leverages multiple digital channels to share product information cross-channel, has armed itself with a set of internal cloud-based, high-performance analytics tools designed to improve customer segmentation, market-basket analysis and real-time personalization cross-channel, based on a broader scope of product attributes.

The Container Store credits its “employees-first” culture as integral to its success, believing that if you make employees your highest priority, they in turn will take better care of customers. It’s a business model that extends to all facets of the chain’s operations — including the decision to deploy a voice-directed warehouse picking system.

Armonk, N.Y. -- A survey released Thursday by IBM found that chief marketing officers and chief information officers must join forces in order to connect with today’s consumer across new channels including mobile devices and social networks.

Compared with most other industries, retail companies face shorter time horizons and tighter metrics. The pressure to perform is great, which perhaps explains why many retail firms are having trouble holding onto their top executives.

For example, one major U.S. retailer recently suffered the departures of a senior marketing executive, a division president and another executive VP, all within the space of a few months. One of those executives had lasted only five months, while another had a tenure of less than two years.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- Mall owner CBL & Associates Properties announced Wednesday the launch of Me-Ality — a size-matching station for mall shoppers — at nine CBL malls across the United States.

The phrase “big data,” is all the rage these days and IBM made a major move to drive growth.