Artificial Intelligence

By Michael Haydock

The retail industry might just be the last bastion of the gut instinct.

In my 20 years working with apparel merchants, department stores and big box companies, I've seen bosses make bet-the-company decisions on little more than a "feeling." Retailing is that kind of a business - it's filled with wonderful visionaries who have an uncanny sixth sense for the nascent trend - or, the moment when a powerful trend is about to falter.

By Carsten Thoma, [email protected]

Mobile is not just another customer communications channel; it is rapidly evolving into an effective commerce channel. Strengthening the link between existing channels such as physical and online stores, mobile now enables customers to start shopping using their mobile devices and finish the process online, via a contact center, in the brick-and-mortar store, or even on the mobile device itself.

Boston — EnerNOC, a leading provider of data-driven energy efficiency applications, announced that Sears Holdings has selected EnerNOC's EfficiencySMART Commissioning, which blends traditional commissioning services with real-time, persistent commissioning technology, to drive energy savings at its 2.4 million-sq.-ft. corporate headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill., a 2010 Energy Star rated facility.

Boston -- Portrait Software, a provider of customer interaction optimization software and now a part of Pitney Bowes Business Insight, announced Tuesday that T-Mobile Austria has selected Portrait Uplift Optimizer following a successful trial that demonstrated improved customer retention and reduced costs, compared with previous approaches.
 

Nov. 11 2010
By Bridget Trask
Email: [email protected]

Is it ever too early to start planning for the holiday rush? Not in the retail sector, where revenue expectations rely on that all-important spike in fourth quarter sales. Every day counts, especially this year, when retailers will feel the full impact of a major change in the marketplace -- growth in customer demand for a shopping experience via multiple interaction channels.