Store Systems

PGA Tour Superstore is celebrating the opening of its 28th U.S. store.   The privately held retailer has opened a store in Glendale, Arizona, its fifth location in the western state. Two more locations are in the works for 2017, with one in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and another in Jacksonville, Florida.  

Lowe’s Cos. is shifting to a new staffing model for its stores that will result in the loss of some jobs nationwide.   The new model will be rolled out across Lowe’s stores and is designed to free up resources to boost customer service, CNBC reported.     

Wawa has big plans for the Sunshine State.    The privately-owned, Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain plans to open 25 to 30 stores every year throughout Florida during the next several years.   In 2017, Wawa will start its push into the southeast part of the state, with a first wave of stores opening in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.  

Ahold USA can now boost it has “smarter stores” for its increasingly connected consumers.   The supermarket giant has rolled out a new wireless platform from Verizon Enterprise Solutions across its divisions, which include Stop & Shop New England, Stop & Shop New York Metro, Giant Landover, and Giant Carlisle, The platform has resulted in a digitally rich in-store experience for the grocer’s smartphone-using shoppers.   

When did washing dishes become more attractive than shopping?   In-store shopping has lost its allure for many shoppers, who are increasingly frustrated with brick-and-mortar stores that lack the convenience of online players, according to a new global report from Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Institute.    

In their e-commerce operations, retailers have long had access to limitless data about customers and transactions. They’ve become adept at using this information to deliver personalized communications and targeted campaigns to customers as they shop online.    Unfortunately, the same could not be said for in-store shopping. Retailers have had no way of knowing what customers were doing in their stores from the time they entered the front door until they checked out at the POS system.  

Helzberg Diamonds is taking steps to ward off credit card fraud.   The jeweler has implemented NCR Connected Payments to mitigate payment card theft and fraud risks for its customers. The cloud-based payment solution provides data and transmission protection, from PIN pad to payment processor, reducing Helzberg’s exposure to potential payment data theft and fraud.   

Retailers finally understand that the always-connected consumer expects a personalized, seamless experience wherever, whenever and however she shops.   This, coupled with the proliferation of mobile devices, are the catalysts driving the new retail paradigm called unified commerce, according to “2017 POS/Customer Engagement Benchmarking Survey,” from Boston Retail Partners (BRP).