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First Edition

Automation in groceries could be the next step in want it-need-it-get-it now

Robotics is emerging as an important element in retail. While consumer-facing robots remain a challenge, their efficiency and accuracy is helping them gain ground on the back end — especially in the grocery sector.

Gap Inc. closes the gap between digital design and development

Given the pervasiveness of social media and ecommerce, just about every retailer is working hard to create a compelling, accessible online presence. Their goal: websites and apps that engage consumers, offer easy access to information, efficiently handle ecommerce transactions and work across multiple types of devices.

Italian retailer transforms inventory management

Retailers collect plenty of data, but do they make use of it? ... All of it? These were typical of the questions inventory technology firm Nextail began asking when it was called in to look at Italian retailer Stefanel’s inventory management and controls.

Battling bot-driven gift card abuse

Gift card fraud is a serious and growing problem — and one many retailers fail to recognize until they or their customers have suffered significant losses. This type of fraud is one aspect of a bot-enabled deception called credential stuffing: botnets attempting to log into a site to assume an identity, gather information or steal money, gift cards and/or other goods.

How Push-to-Talk Apps Grow Retail Sales

Gone are the days of searching for coworkers, taking trips to the stockroom, and removing salespeople from the sales floor. Instead, retailers like Restoration Hardware are cutting costs and leading their industry in sales with high quality, live voice messaging apps. Push-to-talk applications empower retail teams to communicate using their personal mobile devices--no hardware required.

Learn more about push-to-talk >>

NRF is proud to provide our members with the online Retail Buying Guide to search for trusted vendors, products and services in the retail industry. Our guide is a user-friendly forum designed to bring suppliers and purchasers together. You can search by keyword, location, company name or category. Available whenever you need it, the Retail Buying Guide makes it easy to locate products and professional services geared to the retail industry. Click here to visit the online Retail Buying Guide! To advertise, please contact Sarah Allen for more information.

Trends

Creating enlightened displays

Shoppers have come to expect dynamic content in ecommerce. Why not in stores? Epson is working to capture the attention of bricks-and-mortar shoppers with LightScene, an accent lighting laser projector that simultaneously illuminates and projects dynamic content on “virtually any surface or material to engage audiences.”

When money just goes up in smoke

A recent report by personal finance comparison website finder.com showed Americans spend roughly $62 billion annually on purchases made under the influence of narcotics, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens and the like. And for those who thought drunk shopping could be costly, consider this: According to finder.com, “stoned shopping sprees” cost an average of $1,129 per person, about 150 percent more than what shoppers spend under the influence of alcohol.

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

NRF News

Dick’s Sporting Goods CEO on leadership and service

Ed Stack, chairman and CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, has made a lasting impression and plenty of headlines in the last year for leading with conviction. Stack joins the Retail Gets Real team to talk about how the sports retailer is making a mark, from promoting a positive culture built on the love of sports to enhancing the customer experience and committing $50 million to youth sports programs.

What the grocery store of the future looks like

Retail is changing and leaders that are paying attention are driving that change with new investments. At NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen spoke with CNBC’s Sara Eisen about how grocery stores and retail jobs will evolve in the not-so-far-off future.

Smarter solutions for global multichannel retailers

Island Pacific has over 40 years of experience providing software solutions to over 600 global multichannel retailers. Island Pacific SmartSuite is available as a comprehensive, integrated system, or as feature-rich, stand-alone modules. From the creation of initial plans, inventory management, business intelligence, Unified commerce, mobile and fixed counter POS. All modules interact seamlessly, ensuring data integrity and a single view of information driving business growth and consistent Return on investment

Read our latest case studies

Making the business case for inclusion

As the role of business in society continues to evolve, CEOs and industry leaders are being called on to address tough issues such as diversity and inclusion. In a keynote panel discussion at NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show, YUM! Brands’ James Fripp, IKEA’s Lars Petersson and Proctor & Gamble’s Carolyn Tastad joined PricewaterhouseCoopers Chief Purpose Officer Shannon Schuyler to share how their companies are responding to and advancing real-time diversity and inclusion challenges. Watch the video recap from the session.

Retail Deals

12 ReTech Corporation, a global software company, has signed an agreement with Jelmoli, a premium department store in Switzerland, to use the 12Sconti app network. The 12Sconti app helps retailers combat food waste by allowing them to discount, on an hour-by-hour basis, perishable products, which otherwise would need to be disposed of as waste or recycled as agricultural compost.

Throughout 2019, Kohl’s and WW — the new Weight Watchers, a global wellness company – will pilot a variety of health and wellness offerings to help customers and Kohl’s associates on wellness journeys, including the debut of its first in-store WW Studio, the introduction of WW Healthy KitchenTM and more.

Smartwool has been named the official Merino wool base layer, underwear, and sock of all 14 Alterra Mountain Company destinations throughout North America. The collaboration provides Smartwool with maximized exposure at Alterra Mountain Company destinations through on-site branding opportunities.

Webcast: IoT cold chain solutions

The need for secure, IoT-enabled cold chain solutions are being driven from multiple industries including regulations in pharmaceuticals and food safety, increased consumer demands on quality and visibility. In this webcast, Arm, BOSCH and Exosite explain how to develop next-generation cold chain solutions to meet compliance on demanding industry standards.

Watch Webcast

Hudson Group, the largest travel retailer in North America, has selected PCMS, a provider of commerce software and services, for its unified commerce platform. VISION Commerce Suite will enable Hudson Group to unify its retail and hospitality point-of-sale functionality.

In order to meet the needs of its fast-growing team and offer clients a first-rate experience, Tuft & Needle, an online mattress retailer, has chosen Talkdesk as its customer support platform.

The Warehouse Group, a New Zealand-based retailer, has chosen OpsCenter by Opterus, a global provider of web-based store communications and task management solutions, as its centralized communications solution for all its brands.

Bill’s Gun Shop and Range has selected AXIS Point of Sale and Range Management Software from the Retail Technology Group. With this software, the retail firearm and shooting range company will improve its in-store and online sales, multi-store inventory management and reporting and ATF compliance.