In-Store Technology

Every shopping experience is a chance for the consumer to mold their tastes. As the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the desires and demands of the typical shopper in the past year, it’s worth checking in with consumers to see what they want from their visits to physical retail stores. According to our 2021 State…

E-commerce in the grocery industry was already climbing in the past few years, with 23 percent of U.S. households shopping for groceries online in 2017. Today, however, a growing number of households have picked up the online grocery habit throughout COVID-19, with 43 percent saying they’re likely to continue with this even after the pandemic…

COVID-19 has flipped the retail sector upside down. Grocery stores and pharmacies are more critical than ever, but many other “nonessential” retailers are in a trickier position. They either have to lean into e-commerce or dramatically alter their brick-and-mortar stores to support social distancing and contactless shopping through curbside pickup; buy online, pick up in-store…

The retail industry is among those most impacted by the societal changes the pandemic has created. Retailers have been catapulted into an era that's heavily reliant upon online shopping and curbside pickup. Under the current circumstances, up to 64 percent of consumers have reported that they don’t feel comfortable engaging in routine activities outside of…

The peak of the holiday shopping season is upon us, and in a year of uncertainty, retail executives have needed to rethink priorities and strengthen their resilience against unknown challenges ahead. According to our Road to Election survey, 35 percent of business leaders said the nation’s pandemic response creates new risks for their organizations. Furthermore,…

More than 6,300 U.S. stores are expected to close in 2020 amid a pandemic and ongoing changes to the brick-and-mortar model. Among them are some of the longest-running brands in retail, including Lord & Taylor, Victoria’s Secret, and Brooks Brothers. In order to re-stimulate the sector, retailers are mixing in digital solutions to create memorable…

Walmart has cut ties with Bossa Nova Robotics, which made robots that scanned shelves for inventory, reports CNBC. The retailer has come up with other simple and cost-effective ways to manage the products on its shelves with its human workers rather than robots. A Walmart spokesperson noted that about 500 robots were in the company's…

The arrival of the so-called “retail apocalypse” in the wake of the phenomenal growth of e-commerce may be approaching quicker than anticipated as countless brick-and-mortar stores shutter due to the global pandemic. And with many consumers wary of returning to physical storefronts anytime soon — preferring to make their purchases in the safety of their…

Look at how a robust software solution identifies stores in greatest need of a visit and “prescribes” actions for store operations.

Although the future is unpredictable, some aspects of the post-COVID-19 retail shopping environment are coming into focus. Consumers will continue to buy products online, but there will remain occasions when a customer will want to return to the store. They won’t return, however, unless the shopping is contactless, experience-full and, most importantly, consumers genuinely feel…