Artificial Intelligence

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Catalina Marketing has named John Miles as its new EVP and CIO. As Catalina’s EV{ and CIO, Miles will be responsible for leading IT strategy, research and development and new product development.

Since 2009, Miles served as a senior member of the Dell leadership team and CIO for its global commercial and consumer businesses. He has also held senior executive and technology positions with Lowe’s and Lend Lease Inc., as well as consulting positions at Arthur Anderson and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers announced a new agreement in which BJ’s Wholesale Club will use the PeopleAnswers’ solution to help select team members in all locations across 15 eastern states.

San Luis Obispo, Calif. -- An e-commerce solution for branded manufacturers on Friday released a new forecast on how retail shopping will be influenced by the Internet, in addition to mobile and social networking.

Last fall, Los Angeles-based mega mall owner Westfield Group announced it had partnered with tvsdesign on an innovative Web-based solution that would transform the art of common-area interior design into a more consistent and reliable science.

Sustainability and energy conservation are built into the DNA of Market of Choice, a regional natural and organic grocery store operator based in Eugene, Ore. The family-owned chain employs energy-saving air curtains, sells power generated from its own 130.0 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system and composts its own food wastes. And it is in the middle of an energy-saving lighting retrofit. Here are the details on the major elements of the company’s energy-saving efforts:

CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Rite Aid is planning to roll out 3-D holographic display kiosks in its stores next year, according to the kiosks' manufacturer.

In a letter to shareholders, Provision Interactive Technologies president and CEO Curt Thornton wrote that it would place its 3-D Reward Centers in Rite Aid stores, starting with 200 locations and, according to the agreement between the two companies, eventually installing the kiosks in up to 4,800 stores. Rite Aid currently has 4,679 stores.

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Walmart announced that its Vudu entertainment service is now available Xbox 360. Xbox LIVE customers can now shop Vudu’s library using new, interactive features such as voice search, voice control and Kinect gesture commands to rent or own the latest Hollywood hits, TV shows, cinema classics and independent gems in standard or high definition, the company said.

As an incentive to get customers to try Vudu on Xbox, Walmart announced that Vudu is offering a $4.99 credit toward their first rental or purchase. 

The physical and virtual retail worlds continue to converge thanks to innovative technology, especially as consumers rapidly adopt digital solutions and apply them to their retailing experiences.

“Consumer-driven solutions are what keep customers at the epicenter of the shopping experience, and that’s what retail is all about,” said Sahir Anand, VP and research group director for Aberdeen Group, Boston.