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TECHNOLOGY

  • Specialty chain integrates omnichannel processes
    To the key to omnichannel success is having access to synchronized, and up-to-date business information.   Mattress Firm is partnering with Visionet Systems to create a centralized information repository that integrates all business information across retail channels in near real-time — a move that will improve operational efficiency enterprise-wide.  

  • Report: Snapchat geofilter tracks offline purchases
    A messaging app launched a new lens that could help drive shoppers through retailers’ doors.   Snapchat’s Snap to Store product is a geofilter that retailers can sponsor.    When Snapchatters use the retailer-specific overlay on their snaps and share it in their story, Snap analyzes who sees those branded snaps and tracks whether users — or their followers — visit the store, according to New York Business Journal.  

  • U.K. department store jumps into experiential technology
    Selfridges is giving shoppers a new way to test and purchase cosmetics.   Through a partnership with Estee Lauder and YouCam Makeup, the U.K.-based department store chain now features a virtual makeover app. Harnessing augmented reality and facial mapping technology, YouCam Makeup’s cosmetics app enables Selfridges’ shoppers to virtually try on up to 30 lipstick shades prior to making a purchase at the store.  

  • Online menswear retailers growing offline
    Two menswear brands founded online are growing their brick-and-mortar operations.   Made-to-measure men’s clothing maker Indochino, which was founded in 2007, plans to open eight new locations in 2017. Three are slated to open in the brand’s home territory of Canada, and five in the U.S.    “This year, we’re almost doubling our showroom network as we focus on significantly expanding our experiential retail model,” stated Drew Green, CEO, Indochino.  

  • Yelp is launching delivery by robots
    A social media player is getting in on the robot delivery game.    Through a partnership between Yelp and robot delivery startup Marble, customers in San Francisco’s Mission and Potrero Hill neighborhoods will soon receive their Yelp Eat 24 deliveries via rovers, according to ReCode.   When a customer places an order, they may receive a notification with the chance to opt-in for a robot delivery.   

  • Sportswear retailer looks to grow with new platform
    J.McLaughlin is in a growth phase. Armed with a new cloud-based retail platform, the chain can more efficiently execute its plan.    The Brooklyn, New York-based retailer is a specialty apparel chain that operates 115 stores and an e-commerce site. In November 2015, private equity investment firm Brentwood Associates acquired a majority stake in J.McLaughlin, and in July 2016, former Ralph Lauren executive Mary Ellen Coyne came aboard as CEO.   

  • Study: Three companies had 84% of shoppers spend with them in 2016
    Some of the biggest names in retailing and foodservice used experiences to encourage a high percentage buyers to visit at least once last year.   Specifically, Walmart, McDonald’s and Target had more than five out of six U.S. consumers shopping with them in 2016, according to “The Checkout Penetration Index,” from The NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking.   

  • Beauty powerhouse adds high-tech tool to its stores
    Ulta Beauty chain is adding a new “consultant” to its in-store team.   Through its partnership with hair color brand Madison Reed, Ulta is deploying a color-recognition chatbot (called Madi) that gives consultations similar to those customers receive from a professional colorist in a hair salon.     Described by Madison Reed as the industry’s first-ever color-recognition chatbot, Madi combines artificial intelligence and selfies to engage in-store shoppers.   

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