Augmented Reality
December 28, 2016 at 9:37 am
The owner of Snapchat, Snap Inc., has acquired Israeli augmented reality (AR) start-up Cimagine Media for a reported $30 to $40 million, according to CNBC. Retailers should be intrigued by this acquisition because Cimagine Media makes software that allows businesses or consumers to visualize what an item might look like in their environment. Snapchat already…
December 7, 2016 at 9:40 am
The new “View in Room” feature on the Wayfair mobile app allows shoppers to see how furniture and home décor will look in any room before they purchase it. Similar to trying on clothes in a dressing room, Wayfair now allows app users to “try on” products via a smartphone camera. By clicking the View…
September 29, 2016 at 11:52 am
This week, retail professionals gathered in Dallas for Shop.org, Retail’s Digital Summit. Attendees heard from retailers leading the way in this quickly evolving digital world. Presentations from J.C. Penney, True&Co, Rocksbox, Google, Facebook and many more brands covered topics ranging from omnichannel integration to mobile to reaching millennials. Here are a few key takeaways from the…
August 26, 2016 at 10:40 am
The most massive and unexpected retail success story of the summer so far wasn't really even about retail. It was about catching, training and battling virtual monsters. The Pokémon Go augmented reality (AR) app was released in North America on July 6. It was downloaded approximately 7.5 million times in the first week and was…
August 15, 2016 at 7:34 pm
Ever since early July, it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing someone staring down at their phone, aimlessly wandering around and twirling in circles every few feet. The cause: Pokémon Go. Pokémon Go is an augmented reality (AR) game from Japan’s Nintendo Co., where players hunt virtual characters in a real-time, real-world environment — as…
August 9, 2016 at 10:07 am
Pokémon Go. It’s so big right now it has its own meme catalog (it’s about 50 percent NSFW, so I’ll eschew the direct link, but please feel free to do some searches on your own), it’s sparked tens of thousands of social interactions and even if you don’t love it and spend time joking about…
July 29, 2016 at 9:29 am
The uses of artificial intelligence (AI) that get the most press are usually the big, splashy ones. Whether it's IBM's Watson beating Ken Jennings at Jeopardy, DeepMind besting Lee Sedol at Go, the massive influx of news about self-driving cars, the growing personal marketplace, or Elon Musk's increasingly public trepidation, these kinds of AI stories…
July 21, 2016 at 11:42 am
What’s making sales soar 100 percent for one retailer? Pokemon Go, of course. Sales at some GameStop locations doubled last weekend because of the augmented reality mobile game. GameStop designated 462 stores as “gyms or PokeStops” — i.e., places predetermined by Google Maps data that players visit to help up their game. Pokemon enthusiasts are flocking…
July 19, 2016 at 11:55 am
Everyone seems to be in one of two camps. This isn’t a Trump vs. Hillary thing, or even an Android or iOS thing. It's Pokémon Go or Pokémon No. Even those not necessarily opposed to it, but not playing (like me), are certainly wondering what made Pokémon Go a global sensation in seemingly less than…
July 12, 2016 at 1:18 pm
Pokémon Go, the free iOS and Android app that employs augmented reality and GPS technology to allow smartphone users to seek and collect Pokémon characters around real-world locations, is taking over malls and retail stores. The app, which exploded in popularity over the weekend, is driving users to stores where many Pokémon Gyms and PokéStops —…
