Data & Analytics

Retailers know the Internet of Things (IoT) is coming and will bring significant changes. But their preparedness for it is less certain.

Brookstone’s new store display should appeal to its gadget-loving customer base.

The importance of expense control at Walmart became evident on Friday when the retailer confirmed it planned to eliminate 450 positions as part of a broader restructuring effort.

The same freedom and flexibility that mobile devices bring to our everyday lives can also be leveraged in the retail environment. Most retailers are inherently aware of these benefits; yet many are still not sure of how or what to implement.

But this is no reason to delay or avoid deploying mobile technology. By adhering to a few basic principles, retailers can successfully integrate mobility into their daily operations, and reap significant benefits as a result.

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Gasoline/convenience retailer Thorntons Inc. maximizes its customer “convenience” with 24-hour service at many locations. This requires the Louisville, Kentucky-based, 175-store chain to operate robust network security that can handle heavy transaction volume at all times.

“We needed a simple and effective whitelisting (file and application approval) product to prevent outbound Internet access except to desired places,” said David Caudill, VP of IT for Thorntons.

The highly anticipated EMV deadline of October 1 has come and gone, leaving many retailers and payment solutions providers to ponder what’s next?

As of Oct. 1, 2015, any U.S. retailer that does not have the necessary POS hardware, software, and operational and network protocols in place to process an EMV-compliant chip card transaction faces a shift in fraud liability.

When it comes to tech companies, millennials place their trust in a well-known e-commerce retailer. A nationwide survey commissioned by the Marketing Executives Networking Group reveals that more than half of millennials age 18-34 indicated they trusted Amazon more than any other major tech company.

What growth there is in the food channel these days is being driven by specialty products and the trend shows no sign of abating.