Store Systems

Wal-Mart Stores is stepping up its use of solid-state lighting in a big way.

The discounter is installing LED ceiling lighting fixtures in new U.S.

Another digital retailer has made the leap to the physical space. Online beauty subscription company Birchbox, famous for the pink boxes packed with sample products that it sends to subscribers each month, has opened its first brick-and-mortar store, in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.

The duplex-styled, 4,500-sq.-ft. space is bright and airy, with light woods and a white palette accented with pops of color.

Petaluma, Calif. – MarketLive is integrating Visa Checkout directly into its e-commerce platform. Visa Checkout is a new way to pay online, on any device, with a few clicks.

Integrating Visa Checkout into MarketLive’s e-commerce platform allows MarketLive’s retail customers to offer the service to a growing number of consumers who are shopping via smartphones and tablets.

Roughly two months removed from an initial public stock offering, Michaels CEO Chuck Rubin said the company is on track to implement a multi-year strategic plan following the release of second quarter results that showed broad based sales strength and healthy margins.

At a time of year when consumers are still caught up in end-of-summer barbecues and back-to-school shopping, retailers are getting caught up in the rush of holiday planning. Holiday sales can account for 20% to 40% of a retailer’s total annual sales, according to the National Retail Federation, and a successful holiday can turn around a bad year or make a good year even better.

The LED revolution sweeping the building industry is now ready for the next stage: intelligent lighting control, which has the potential to transform the retail environment by making it more flexible, better understood and connective with shoppers.

LEDs are inherently dimmable, and many LED products are sold with dimming capability regardless of how the owner plans to control them.

With all the attention being paid to mobile commerce, wearable technology and other cutting-edge developments in the world of retail IT, the in-store POS terminal is sometimes taken for granted.

By Nicole Chen, brand outreach associate and Michael Olmstead, director, Plug and Play Retail

In today’s day and age, technology pervades into every aspect of our lives. With an emphasis on the fast and easy, nearly all of our day-to-day transactions are now being condensed and expressed through technological gateways. With new trends appearing in the startup space and technology industry every day, it is often difficult to choose what is a good investment and what may turn out to be a dud.