Store Systems

J.C. Penney’s efforts to become a world class omnichannel retailer are under the leadership of a new chief information officer with a unique background.

J. C. Penney appointed Therace Risch as executive vice president and chief information officer, effective immediately. Risch joins the retailer from COUNTRY Financial, and succeeds Scott Laverty.

Unconfirmed media reports indicate Target is in the early stages of developing its own mobile payment solution.

As Walmart prepares to launch its Walmart Pay mobile pay solution, the discounter should study Starbucks’ success in the mobile payments area, according to a report by TheStreet.

Starbucks rolled out its mobile wallet in 2011, and mobile payment now accounts for 21% of all transactions in U.S. company-owned stores. If Walmart wants to get even close to those numbers, it will have to follow Starbucks’ lead and make sure that its mobile payment solution provides a real value to consumers.

The emphasis is on fresh foods and convenience at bfresh, a new, urban-scale supermarket concept from Ahold’s Fresh Formats division.

Designed by Scandinavian design agency Blink, bfresh is part neighborhood grocery store, part food hall and part restaurant. The stores, which average about 9,000 sq. ft., have a modern look and a streamlined, simple layout. Digital price tags enhance the contemporary feel.

Return fraud during the holidays is a growing problem for retailers—and also an extremely expensive one.

Retailers need to improve several aspects of their omnichannel customer engagement strategies if they want to truly satisfy customers.

A new technology platform has been launched with a very specific goal: to help retailers convert their online browsers into shoppers at their brick-and-mortar stores.

The solution, a scalable SaaS platform from Brickwork, is designed to elevate the customer experience from site to store. It seeks to revolutionize the online “store locator” function by enriching the data and content around physical locations for brands with hundreds, and even thousands, of locations.