News

Target Corp. is testing a robot to track inventory on store shelves, Fortune reported. The one-week trial is being conducted a Target store in San Francisco.

Silicon Valley startup Robotics built the robot, called Tally, that can roll around the store, scanning products to determine if they have been misplaced, mispriced, or are low in stock, according to the report.

Click here for more, including a video of the robot in action.

About two-thirds (64%) of the United States is covered by prescriptive lighting rebates, according to BriteSwitch, a rebate fulfillment company. These rebates can significantly reduce the installed cost of new lighting in existing buildings and improve payback by 20%-25%, which would reduce a two-year payback to about 1.5 years.

Despite the proliferation of the LED source, traditional lighting product rebates remain available.

GNC Holdings Inc. announced Monday it is undertaking a strategic review whose options could include a sale of the company.

The health-and-wellness retailer said it is also considering accelerated refranchising strategies, partnerships and other collaborations, and capital structure optimization. The announcement comes on the heels of disappointing first quarter results.

The retail industry has reached a point of progress with robotics where it is not enough to look at how robots will drive business transformation, but at how they are already doing so.
 
Following are three key retail areas where robots have already begun to make their presence felt:
 
Fulfillment and Distribution

The North Face has unveiled a new store pilot — complete with a Redwood tree — at Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, California.

The 6,500-sq.-ft. store, which is located just across the street from the retailer’s previous location of 24 years, combines the best of digital in-store technology, including virtual reality, with features that speak to the locale and the brand’s DNA.

April marked the six-month anniversary of the EMV liability shift. After years of discussion and anticipation, that changeover has technically “happened,” but unfortunately, not much good has happened as a result. Even with all the preparation and hype, the payments industry is still playing catch up. Why? Well, it’s a complex picture that requires a bit of history.

Bostonians are notorious for their love of locally based coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts, and now the retailer is making it easier for them to get their daily fix.

According to the Boston Herald, Dunkin’ Donuts is expanding a pilot of on-demand delivery to about 200 stores in the Greater Boston area. The retailer is partnering with third-party delivery services Favor and DoorDash, both of whom try to get items to customers within an hour of placing a digital order.

While several highly publicized emerging technologies are poised to have a major effect on retail by 2026, another touted bleeding-edge solution may fall short of expectations.

Sierra Trading Post, an online retailer TJX Cos. acquired in 2012, is accelerating store expansion and could become a new growth driver for the nation’s leading off price retailer with designs on extending its value proposition to the outdoor and active lifestyle world.

Photos by Kate Berry