TECHNOLOGY

Amazon doubles down on Echo—and then some
Amazon's Echo is in expansion mode just in time for the holiday rush. The online giant on Wednesday announced five new Echo products, along with several other new gadgets. And none of the items cost more than$150, TechCrunch reported. The new items include Echo Plus, which will do double duty by also serving as a hub for smart home devices.
KPMG report: CEOs focused on physical, digital infrastructure investments
U.S. retail CEOs are optimistic about growth prospects. That's according to the 2017 KPMG U.S. CEO Outlook report by U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm KPMG, which found that 95% CEOs of U.S. consumer goods and retail companies are confident about the growth outlook for the global economy, the industry and their companies over the next three years, despite potential technological risks. Their peers in other parts of the world, do not share the same optimism, the report found.

Disney testing new store design as part of omnichannel update

Disney is looking to update its customer experience, offline and online, in what it said represents "the next generation of Disney retail." The company is testing a new store prototype in select locations, including Century City, Calif.; Northridge, Calif.; Miami, Fla. (opening Sept. 28); Nagoya, Japan; and Shanghai, China. The prototype is designed to bring the magic of Disney to retail through innovative technology, storytelling and cast member interaction, the company stated.
Walmart signs on for Facebook's new platform

The nation's largest private employer is working with the country's largest social network. Walmart has signed on to use Facebook’s Workplace enterprise collaboration platform. Launched in fall 2016, Workplace is designed to connect colleagues within a company, and allow them to message each other, share images and broadcast live videos.
American Eagle Outfitters in new loyalty offerings

American Eagle Outfitters has gone omnichannel with its loyalty program. The teen apparel retailer announced the launch of AEO Connected, a highly digitized loyalty program for its American Eagle and Aerie customers. Over 16 million current rewards members were immediately converted to AEO Connected.
Shoppertrak: December 2017 calendar to influence shopper behavior

This holiday season offers retailers something they haven't experienced in five years. For the first since 2012, there will be four Saturdays in December prior to Christmas Day, according to Shoppertrak, which noted that the busiest shopping day of the year will fall on Black Friday, Nov. 24. Saturday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 16 are expected to be the second and third busiest shopping days, respectively. (The full list is at the end of the article.)
Using Unified Retail Planning to Break Out of Functional Silos

Retail today isn’t for the faint-hearted. A recent quote from business magnate and investor Warren Buffet is quite telling, “I think retailing is just too tough for me, just generally.”
The busiest online shopping day in history will be...

Black Friday is still No. 1 when it comes to setting sales records. Black Friday, which falls on Nov. 24 this year, will be the busiest digital shopping day in U.S. history, exceeding Cyber Monday (Nov. 27) for the second year in a row, according to a report by Salesforce.
Kroger creates new website to help identify local product vendors

Kroger on Friday launched a new website to welcome local and emerging brands to partner with the company.
Innovative retail concept in store expansion mode

A tech-savvy retailer with an unusual business model is expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint nationally. b8ta announced plans to open four new stores, designed by Gensler, with locations in San Francisco, San Jose, Calif. (Santana Row), Houston (Galleria), and New York City. The expansion, which brings the company's total store count to nine, kicks off with the opening of a store in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood on Sept. 29.