Robots
June 10, 2020 at 4:43 pm
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…
May 27, 2020 at 5:25 pm
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…
April 27, 2020 at 7:01 pm
Automation is helping merchants take a large cut of the $4.2 trillion pie that e-commerce represents today. Facebook has already integrated automation in some way or another to its marketplace through features like automated seller responses, and robotic process automation (RPA) systems are making platforms like Amazon.com and Shopify capable of reading and responding to…
January 27, 2020 at 12:13 pm
As e-commerce evolves, customer expectations to get what they want — when, where, and how they want it — will only continue to intensify and further challenge brands in 2020 and beyond. The times when search and price were the only criteria for purchasing decisions are gone, and retailers today need airtight e-commerce strategies that…
October 10, 2019 at 9:46 am
In today’s digital world, data is worth its proverbial weight in gold. However, it’s not enough for retailers to just collect data to win the retail wars; they need to have a strategy to distill and apply insights from the data. For example, inventory data is particularly ripe for strategic use. By synthesizing information about…
June 5, 2019 at 2:15 pm
Walmart has hired Scott Eckert to run its investment arm and startup incubator, Store No. 8, according to an internal memo from Marc Lore, the retailer's head of e-commerce on Monday, and obtained by Reuters. Eckert is a former executive of Bain Capital Ventures, where he evaluated potential new investments and advised CEOs about existing…
May 9, 2019 at 11:00 am
The retail industry is at a critical inflection point. The biggest brick-and-mortar stores are facing significant external pressures, and today’s customers have come to expect a seamless omnichannel shopping experience, every time. To better understand how retailers are faring in this uncharted retail era, Bossa Nova partnered with Wakefield Research to survey corporate retail professionals…
February 25, 2019 at 2:45 pm
In episode 184 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Dave Steck, vice president of IT — infrastructure and application development at Schnucks Markets, a Missouri-based supermarket chain. Listen in as Steck discusses the grocer's partnership with Simbe Robotics and its use of autonomous shelf-scanning robot, Tally, to improve in-store operations and inventory management.
August 6, 2018 at 2:21 pm
Walmart is testing the use of storage and retrieval robotics, called Alphabot, to increase the speed of online grocery order pickup, according to a company blog post. The technology, which was developed in collaboration with retail automation company Alert Innovation, is being installed in a section of a Salem, N.H. supercenter, which will also be a dedicated…
May 18, 2018 at 11:48 am
Kroger announced a deal this week with British online grocer Ocado to help improve its grocery delivery services through the construction of robotically operated warehouses. A report by Reuters states the deal is Ocado's first in the United States and company’s fourth major agreement with retailers in six months. Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen called the…
