Omnichannel

New York -- Wesfield Garden State Plaza, in Paramus, N.J., is merging the digital experience with the physical one. The shopping center has installed a series of 7-ft. tall, ultra-high definition touch-screen displays, called “digital storefronts,” in its just-opened Fashion District wing. The new wing adds 55,000 sq. ft. over two floors and 22 new stores and restaurants to the mall

Rakuten has teamed up with First Bankcard to launch the Rakuten Rewards MasterCard Program, which provides cardholders with reward points for using their credit card to shop on Rakuten.com and elsewhere.  

Rakuten.com, formerly Buy.com, is Rakuten's U.S. marketplace, offering consumers more than 17 million products at everyday low prices from a network of small and large business shop owners.

By Dave Bruno, Director of Product Marketing, JDA Software

New York -- Meijer is testing an automated system that speeds up the checkout process at its store in Jenison, Mich. The system, from NCR, automatically scans merchandise. It became available customers on April 3, according to MichiganLive.

As shoppers place merchandise on a conveyor belt, the items are scanned, and then sent to one of three collection areas, where customers bag them.

ChannelAdvisor, a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions that enable retailers and manufacturers to increase global sales, has promoted Jordan Weinstein to the role of managing director, EMEA.

Weinstein will be responsible for developing the company’s local strategy and direction for growth. Along with this appointment, ChannelAdvisor has expanded its European management team with four new directors in the EMEA region.

Dallas – Paragon Software Systems Inc., a provider of vehicle routing and scheduling optimization solutions, is introducing Paragon HDS (Home Delivery System) to the U.S. market. Paragon HDS is designed to enable home delivery and home service companies to offer more accurate delivery times while improving fleet efficiency.

Ultra high definition displays installed at the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall produce stunning images, engage shoppers and serve as a reminder why retail pundits are wrong who say, “the mall is dead.”

Seattle — AmazonFresh recently launched a new tool called the Amazon Dash that allows users to scan items or speak the items aloud as part of a new way to shop for groceries without having to go into the store or shop online.