Retail Stores

Retail is the most complex it's ever been and a multitude of factors have pushed business leaders to prioritize artificial intelligence implementation at HQ and in-store. What I hear now from retail leaders is an urgent mandate to get their workforce AI-enabled. The data backs this, with 97 percent of retail organizations planning to increase…

Toys R Us is launching its biggest U.S. expansion in years, with 120 new standalone stores set to open in time for the holiday shopping season, reports Fox Business. The retailer announced last week that it will open the new standalone stores across the U.S. this holiday season through a partnership with Go! Retail Group,…

For years, retailers have focused on optimizing the physical store around one primary objective: the transaction. Where products are placed, how customers move through the store, and how quickly they can make a purchase have all been carefully considered. However, the role of the physical store is changing. As more transactions move online, the store…

U.S. retail sales over the upcoming November-December holiday shopping season are poised to set a new record this year and top $1 trillion for the first time, Bain & Company forecasts. The new all-time high for holiday sales is expected to be driven by 4.5 percent year-over-year (YoY) growth in nominal terms, well ahead of…

lululemon plans to shrink its fleet of pop-up stores from 65 at the end of 2025 to roughly 40 by the end of 2026. Furthermore, 35 net new company-operated stores are planned for the year, down from about 40 guided last quarter. The pullback on store count comes as lululemon announced weak second-quarter results and…

When most people walk into a store, their eyes are drawn to product displays or promotional signage. Mine go to the cameras overhead. More and more, those systems are becoming a window into the decisions retail operators make to shape the customer experience. For decades, video surveillance systems have been used mostly for loss prevention.…

The Home Depot enhanced its AI assistant, Magic Apron, to include localized store knowledge to assist in-store shoppers, reports Yahoo Tech. The retailer said in a Thursday press release that the tool is now available in all of the company's over 2,000 U.S. locations. Customers can access the tool while using Store Mode in the…

Retailers have absorbed years of supply chain disruption, labor pressure and inflation. Throughout it all, one persistent challenge has remained: controlling electricity and natural gas costs without compromising store operations or the customer experience. Power is one of the costliest operational line items that retailers face, with retail stores utilizing 14.3 kilowatt hours (kWh) of…

Walmart announced on Friday it will finally accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other tap-to-pay methods at its U.S. stores after holding out for over a decade, reports Yahoo Finance. Starting this past Monday, Aug. 24, Walmart and Sam's Club rolled out tap-to-pay options at select locations, allowing shoppers to pay with contactless cards, smartphones,…

For years, retail centered on convenience through faster shipping, more online options, and frictionless transactions. Today, consumers search for something more. They want opportunities to reconnect with the physical world. Younger consumers, in particular, embrace hobbies like needlepoint, quilting, and embroidery as a way to unplug from digital overload. This growing appetite for offline experiences…