In-Store Technology

Microsoft is reportedly working on technology that would eliminate cashiers and checkout lines from stores, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters this week. More specifically, the software giant is developing a system that tracks what shoppers add to their carts. Reportedly, Microsoft has shown sample technology to several global retailers and has had talks…

It’s an exciting time in retail. Increasingly, we’re seeing formerly digital-only retailers like Warby Parker, YETI and Casper begin to build out physical brick-and-mortar storefronts. The space is rapidly evolving and there’s huge opportunity for forward-thinking innovators to move the needle. As consumers continue to shift their purchasing habits, it’s more important than ever that…

We've become increasingly accustomed to reading about retailers closing dozens of stores, while countless new technologies promise to revitalize those remaining. Retailers experimenting with lifesaving tools are overwhelmed by the options. Some executives are signing off on systems meant to change how their employees work and interact with customers (a good thing), but with no…

Let’s face it: omnichannel was a cool buzzword 10 years ago. With the acceleration of disruption and change, being “omnichannel” isn’t going to bridge the gap between tomorrow’s leaders and laggards. Nordstrom is a notable example of a retailer with a forward-thinking approach. I worked there in 2008, so I can attest that Nordstrom was…

Walmart has decided to cancel an app that let shoppers scan and pay for items with their smartphones so they could skip waiting in line at checkout registers, the company confirmed to Business Insider on Tuesday. The decision to kill the app, called Scan & Go, comes just four months after Walmart announced it would expand…

Amazon.com's cashier-free grocery store of the future is coming to San Francisco and Chicago. The company is expanding its experimental Amazon Go store to the two cities, but didn't say when they would open. It has posted job listings for store managers in the cities on its site, which were first noticed by the Seattle…

The soaring popularity of online-based retail among consumers cannot be denied, but physical retail will continue to represent the majority of sales. In fact, recent research found that physical retail will still account for 80 percent of sales globally by 2025 — an indicator that consumers still see huge value in visiting brick-and-mortar stores. However,…

For decades, the most successful retailers thrived by employing in-store associates to provide shoppers with excellent customer service, advice and individualized attention. In the digital age, however, consumers prefer much less human interaction. They're instead looking to various in-store technologies for help, advice, product and price information, and convenience. To better understand what drives shoppers…

The benefits of online shopping are obvious: its speed, ease and convenience drove Q2 2017 e-commerce sales to $111.5 billion, a 16.2 percent increase year-over-year. Still, if given a choice, 64 percent of online shoppers prefer buying from physical outlets — a number that, surprisingly, increases when talking about younger shoppers. Millennials and even Gen…

Sometimes you can measure innovation by how quickly a capability or service goes from being “cutting edge” to “low-hanging fruit.” That certainly seems to be the case among retailers for the in-store mobile experience — something made clear in DMI’s latest Mobile Maturity Model (M3) study. Not too long ago retailers might have satisfied themselves…