Is your organization is interested in giving back? Today’s your lucky day. Darren Singer, SVP Retail Health and Wellness at Shopko Stores, has issued a donation challenge to like-minded retailers and partners to join Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) to make a difference. If you're unfamiliar with RetailROI, its purpose is to raise awareness and provide real solutions for the more than 400 million vulnerable children worldwide.
According to a report by Boston Retail Partners (BRP), in the next 3 years, 250 percent more retailers are transitioning to a single order management solution (OMS) to support a unified commerce experience across all channels. BRB explains in its report that integral to unified commerce is a unified commerce platform — a single centralized commerce platform for all channels, combining traditional POS, mobile, Web, clienteling, order management and fulfillment into a consolidated, real-time platform.
Big Data was a big topic at the 2016 NRF BIG Show, but to no surprise, the topic that seemingly screamed from Javits’ rooftop was analytics. Practically every technology vendor we met with touted its expertise in delivering mission-critical analytics at breakneck speeds to help retailers better run their businesses. That’s good news for retailers, as acting on the key findings from swarms of data is just one of the ways retailers are differentiating themselves from the competition; they do so by predicting trends and preparing for future demand.
By shifting its core business operations to a cloud-based single unified platform, this specialty retailer achieved inventory visibility, expanded its fulfillment offerings, and improved the customer experience.
The 2016 NRF BIG Show may be in the rear-view mirror, but the countless data attendees gathered before, during, and after the show will help retailers improve their businesses in 2016 and beyond. I had the pleasure of attending a few pre-NRF events, including RISE (Retailer Innovation & Shopper Expertise Symposium) held The Gansevoort Park Avenue. RISE’s tagline, “to unite the most experienced, accomplished, and respected leaders in the industry … and to celebrate the future of retail, diversity, and innovation,” exceeded expectations.
The 2016 NRF BIG Show is within reach, and you’re probably just as excited as we are to see what the event has in store.
As 2016 gets underway, retailers must be well past the point of retail-as-usual. We’re in an industry in transition, and, as such, I’d like to share some transformative trends that innovators will leverage to shape customer engagement in 2016.
Here’s how a specialty retailer relies on an email marketing platform to convert abandoned carts into completed purchases.
Walmart just threw its hat in the mobile payments ring in a big way. Walmart launched the rollout of Walmart Pay, a free smartphone-based payment solution that will work with all credit cards, debit cards, and Walmart gift cards at U.S. stores. A loyalty feature overall, Walmart Pay is the retail giant’s newest effort to streamline the shopping experience.
In case you missed them, here are some of our information-rich webinars that are available on-demand. In less than an hour, you’ll learn how savvy retailers are using innovative technologies to improve customer engagement.
