Digital Innovation

Something interesting happened as we spent countless news cycles prophesizing the demise of brick-and-mortar retail: 2017 Black Friday foot traffic at stores remained very high and barely saw any change from last year. Meanwhile, online shopping saw another 17 percent increase from last year, with mobile shopping accounting for almost 40 percent of those online…

The holiday shopping season is often a chaotic frenzy with consumers frantically searching for the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Due to wider adoption and the abundance of mobile shopping apps, as well as recent breaches in secure data, holiday shopping today isn’t the same as it used to be. To help retailers prepare…

Kroger announced this week it will begin offering mobile payments next year through a partnership with JPMorgan Chase & Co. The Cincinnati Business Courier reports the retail chain will offer a service known as Chase Pay at select stores and e-commerce programs next year. “Technology is transforming our customers’ experiences and greatly influencing how we're re-imagining…

It’s the 21st Century and we've entered a digital era where businesses across every sector are reaping the rewards that connectivity and digital transformation brings them. Operating faster than ever before, industries are harnessing next-generation technologies like the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and the cloud to accelerate the delivery of digital services to customers.…

Augmented reality (AR) isn’t necessarily a new concept, but the recent rollout of Apple’s ARKit and the upcoming launch of Google’s ARCore has taken this technology to the next level, making it substantially more mainstream for every consumer and business across all industries. Similar to virtual reality’s (VR) impact on gaming/entertainment, AR’s use cases are…

With the rise of “conversational experiences,” just about every business function — from marketing to commerce to support — must be redesigned to be conversational. The greatest impact felt due to conversational marketing is that businesses interact with far more consumer prospects than they do with paying customers. Each one of us will soon be…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the mother of all marketing buzzwords these days. Defined as the theory and development of computer systems to be able to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, the broader applications of AI are much bigger than using a machine to order your food vs. having a waitress come to your…

As the all-important holiday shopping season is underway, retail marketers must consider which vital data-crunching tools will help increase efficiencies and create more targeted customer experiences. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) leads the pack. While brands are already heavily investing in AI to better engage today’s easily distracted consumers, there are many myths around…

People working in the retail supply chain typically don’t like the words “block” and “chain” used in the same sentence. These words imply a disruption in the seamless flow of goods from producer to consumer. However, taken as one, the term "blockchain" may bring new life to the interconnectivity of the retail supply chain. Blockchain…

Lowe's is expanding its "Smart Home powered by b8ta" connected-home shopping experience to 70 stores nationwide. The store-within-a-store concept, which was developed in partnership with software-powered retailer b8ta, features a curated selection of smart home products — e.g., security systems, thermostats, cameras, lighting equipment, speakers — that shoppers learn about and try before making a…