Robots

Retail, like healthcare, education, and so many other aspects of daily life, have been changing fast as various technologies develop and mature. Efficiency in batteries and motors are exponentially ahead of where they were 10 years ago, as is connectivity in the form of Wi-Fi and 5/6G. Tremendous compute power now sits in the cloud…

After a year in which person-to-person contact was all but banned, contactless payments, online ordering, and curbside pickup have become the norm. Out of necessity, consumer adoption of these technologies has accelerated. In fact, 78 percent of consumers globally have made changes to how they pay in the last year to utilize touchless forms of…

In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Mark Messina, chief operating officer of Geek+ America, Inc., the Americas division of a global artificial intelligence (AI) logistics robotics startup. Messina discusses the Geek+ global business, the impact of automated operations on retailers' warehouses, and how having automation in fulfillment centers during…

Consumer behavior has been evolving over time, but never has it changed so rapidly in such a short period as it did in 2020. COVID-19 almost single-handedly forced consumers to embrace online shopping, as many physical stores shut down or reduced hours to comply with COVID-19 mandates. Consumers turned to online retailers for everything from…

Talk of automation in business has historically been linked with conversations of rising unemployment, and the great battle of humans vs. technology in the workplace. However, as retail leaders blend physical and digital channels, many are beginning to see automation as an asset instead of a foe. For example, digital merchandisers got into the field…

As we near a holiday season like none before it, retailers must be proactive in addressing the ways in which COVID-19 has changed typical shopping behaviors and expectations. According to a new survey from RetailMeNot, 75 percent of Americans say they’ll prefer to shop online this year, and the same amount will aim to complete…

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…

Speed of delivery is one of the most critical aspects of providing a positive customer experience. Whether shipping to stores or directly to shoppers, companies must try to fulfill orders and cross that last mile of delivery as fast as possible to meet consumer expectations for speed, which seem to only get shorter with each…

In the last installment of this 10-part series, I focus on emerging technologies and trends that will shape fulfillment in the coming months and years. These innovations enable merchants to fulfill orders faster while reducing costs, especially in the last mile and warehouse operations. Many large e-commerce merchants have started to adopt these technologies, and…