Category Archive

Right now, commercials target consumers in mass, but as big data gets bigger, retailers will have the ability to hit up each of us as individuals. Based on what retailers know about our buying patterns, “shoppers will receive targeted messages and promotions while in the store, as the system will already know who they are, their lifestyle and purchasing patterns,”says Jonathan Asher, executive vice president … Read More

The smartphone has it all but replaced the standalone GPS as a product in the average consumer’s tech arsenal. That’s because mapping apps from Google, Apple, and Waze help us get from point A to B. Ah, but they don’t do it indoors. Molloy sees a time in the not-too-distant future when app developers figure out how to map your favorite grocery store or retail … Read More

Missing the FedEx or UPS truck can prove quite aggravating, especially when you have to retrieve the package or figure out a time range to hang at your house in anticipation of the driver’s return. A group of Harvard Business School students not only saw the problem, but came up with an innovative solution. Their notify start-up, Boxxify.com, not only handles and signs for your … Read More

Geofencing is pretty much what it sounds like: a virtual perimeter for a real- world geographic area. So let’s say you set a boundary via mobile communications that encompasses a six-square-block area. That would be your geofence, and anyone who enters that area whose contact information you have can receive a text message or email via smartphone or tablet. And when the bullseye of the … Read More

Everyone who’s been in a long checkout line has experienced the frustration of watching a cashier fumble with a product trying to either a) find the barcode and/or b) scan it correctly. But in January, a company called Digimarc introduced a new technology that incorporates an invisible digital watermark, not unlike the kind used for currency. “The clerk no longer has to hunt for the … Read More

In terms of a custom-made experience, nothing can top what’s going on at The Left Shoe Company in Los Angeles. So says Bruce Molloy, the vice president of global business development at Customer Mobile, and an expert on the evolving retail space. Here’s what the Left Shoe does: They put customers’ feet through a 3D scan that takes 150 pictures. “Those photos are then sent … Read More

The report “Retail Technology Vision 2014” from Accenture contains an incredible prediction: “The next five years will bring more change to retail than the last 100 years.”Think about that; the stores, websites, and apps we recognize today could go through some radical changes that would’ve been the stuff of sci-fi just a generation ago To find out what the changing face of retail will look … Read More