TECHNOLOGY

Target tops among retailers in this key area
Target Corp. leads other retailers when it comes to reaching and attracting qualified talent. The discounter ranked the highest (at No. 26) among Fortune 500 retail-ers for employment branding in a study by global talent solutions com-pany WilsonHCG. Target was followed by Publix (No. 42), The Home Depot (No. 50), Walmart (No. 64), Nordstrom (No. 77) and Whole Foods Market (No. 115). No retailer cracked the top 10, which was led by Gen-eral Electric, Johnson & Johnson and AT&T.
Trump takes a swipe at Nordstrom — is TJX next?
Nordstrom on Wednesday found itself the latest target of President Donald Trump's Twitter attacks. The department store’s shares fell from session highs midmorning after Trump tweeted that his daughter, Ivanka, had been treated “so unfairly.” His comments were made in response to Nordstrom’s decision to stop carrying the Ivana Trump brand, which the retailer said was based on the brand’s performance.

Is Amazon eyeing robot-managed grocery store?

A report has Amazon considering its next foray into the grocery segment, but in a manner that would require very little human intervention. Amazon is reportedly contemplating a two-story, automated supermarket that would feature a staff of robots on the second floor that fulfill orders for shoppers waiting on the main level, according to The New York Post.
Tech Bytes: Lessons learned from holiday 2016 can drive mobile conversions going forward

Mobility’s influence on retail sales has never been stronger. Too bad the same can’t be said for its impact on conversions. I know what you are thinking — the industry had a stellar holiday shopping season, and it was driven by mobile. Indeed, the 2016 holiday season brought in a total $91.7 billion in online sales, an 11% increase year-over-year. Mobile alone brought in a total of $28.43 billion in revenue, a 23% increase over last year, according to Adobe.
Report: Fast-fashion giant uses Google app to customize dresses

H&M is saying yes to what is being described as a “data dress.” The fast-fashion retailer is teaming up with Google to create and sell frocks based on customer-specific data tracked by an Android app, reported The Verge.
Cloud-based platform helps toy chain streamline promotions

Mass promotions don’t cater to customer demand — or drive sales. By adding a new platform that streamlines the entire promotional planning process, Toys “R” Us Canada is leaving behind vague promotions in favor of more targeted communications based on shopping behavior, store traffic, inventory and customer service.
Nordstrom dropping Ivanka Trump brand

Ivanka Trump-branded items will soon be a thing of the past at Nordstrom.
Macy’s, Kohl’s merging offline and online experiences

Unified commerce has become the holy grail of retail as companies embark on the next-generation of the store environment — one that drives a top-notch, frictionless, non-frustrating and valuable customer experience.
Creating Real-time Competitive Advantage with Mobile Data Capture

Through the deployment of mobile data capture solutions, retailers can gain a wealth of real-time operational data and insight. On the front end, consumer barcode scans provide enterprises with valuable insights into shopping behavior and help to strengthen consumer relationships. On the back end, mobile barcode scans provide retailers with real-time snapshots into how products move through their supply chain.
Amazon’s air cargo hub plan takes off

In a strategic move to bolster its logistics network, Amazon will build an air cargo hub in Kentucky. The online retailer agreed to a 50-year lease for approximately 900 acres of property from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The project site, which rivals the size of global hubs of top cargo airlines — is estimated to cost $1.49 billion, ReCode said.