Business Intelligence (BI)

With 2016 upon us, most everyone is thinking about the New Year’s resolutions they have in place for the upcoming year. The perennially popular resolutions range from losing weight to getting out of debt.

If you look closely, the resolutions could mirror goals that retailers may want to consider in 2016, especially as it relates to loss prevention (LP).

The holiday promotion season is fast approaching with the arrival of Thanksgiving and Black Friday. From that moment the race is on for customer dollars through to the New Year. We’ve all been through this many times, and it seems like no sooner has one season finished than we are shortly into planning for the next. But what impact are the prices we set having on customer behavior and the profits of retailers?

The “digital revolution” has turned the traditional retail marketplace upside down. Consumer expectations continue to rise and the Internet has broken down borders and created a global marketplace, dramatically increasing competition.

Specialty home furnishings retailer Z Gallerie has long operated a catalog and e-commerce site along with 57 physical stores, but the Los Angeles-based chain wants to update for the omnichannel era.

Thus Z Gallerie has selected the full suite of Aptos retail solutions in a full-service Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model to help the retailer streamline, optimize and integrate its omnichannel retail operations, while supporting new means of engaging with its customers.

Excess energy consumption in retail can exceed 30%, which means there is a huge opportunity for savings that many retailers s have not yet fully explored.

Retailers spend nearly $20 billion annually on energy expenses, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. By saving just 15% from optimizing operations and eliminating waste, we can save $3 billion as an industry.

Signet Jewelers has hired its first ever chief strategy officer to lead the jewelry company's transformation and future growth.

The world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry announced that Uta Werner has joined the company as Signet chief strategy officer. Werner will be responsible for strategy development and execution and will be focused on the identification of growth opportunities, strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions.

The Oct. 1 EMV deadline has come and gone, but for some merchants, the technical headache still remains, and continues to interfere with fourth quarter planning.

While some retailers have proactively met the challenge and are already EMV-enabled, (and to them, kudos!), data shows that by the end of 2015, only half of U.S. retailers will have made the change.

DSW Inc. has promoted its omnichannel retailing chief to be its new CEO as the company positions itself for long-term growth.

The company said Roger L. Rawlins, executive VP and CIO, will succeed Michael R. MacDonald as CEO effective Jan. 1. MacDonald, who is retiring from DSW and from the board of directors, will remain with the company through the end of the year to help ensure a smooth transition. Rawlins will be appointed to the DSW board effective Jan. 1.

Levi Strauss & Co. is turning to the Internet of Things (IoT) as a solution to improve inventory visibility.

Levi’s is partnering with Intel to run a proof-of-concept of the new Intel IoT platform at three of the vertical apparel retailer’s stores. The pilot allows the Levi’s stores to gain visibility into what’s on the shelf or what might be running low. The goal is to make the process of inventory management more effective, maximizing in-stock and on-shelf availability of products.

Every day, it seems there is news of another large retailer opening a tech innovation center, launching a new engagement channel, or otherwise making its mark as an IT innovator. But while the big guys get all the attention, a lot of smaller retailers are also doing some very interesting and innovative things with technology.

Here are three recent examples of small retailers launching large initiatives in technology innovation:

Poler Outdoor Stuff activates Instagram indoors