Technology

Third-Party Services: The Ultimate E-Commerce Friend or Foe?
March 28, 2017 at 9:24 am

External third-party services can be a tremendous asset for online retailers. They allow sites to quickly and easily incorporate critical core functionalities โ€” e.g., reviews, payments, site search, analytics โ€” as well as โ€œnice to havesโ€ that help sites stand out โ€” e.g., A/B testing, social plug-ins, product tours. Brands can implement these functionalities withโ€ฆ

Kohl's CEO on Future of Stores, Amazon and More
March 22, 2017 at 1:33 pm

In an interview yesterday with Sucharita Mulpuru at Shoptalk in Las Vegas, Kohl's Chairman, CEO and President Kevin Mansell discussed the future of the struggling retailer, including the role of brick-and-mortar, how the department store will leverage technology, how it views Amazon.com, and the potential impact of the proposed border adjustment tax

Wal-Mart Announces New Investment Arm
March 22, 2017 at 11:59 am

Wal-Mart has launched a new internal venture โ€” Store No. 8 โ€” meant to create new online business. Store No. 8 will help Wal-Mart build new startups within the company, fostering relationships with entrepreneurs, particularly those in the fields of artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies. This will, in turn, help the retailerโ€ฆ

How Rue La La is Improving Customer Experiences With Data
March 20, 2017 at 11:56 am

In episode 84 of Total Retail Talks, I interview Erick Roesch, director of business intelligence at Rue La La. Roesch discusses how the members-only online fashion site is using a data warehousing solution as part of its efforts to personalize the shopping experiences of its customers.

How Retailers Can Leverage Predictive Marketing to Drive Connected Customer Experiences
March 17, 2017 at 10:45 am

As retailers become more skilled at harnessing big data to build predictive intelligence capabilities, they will learn to create more personalized customer experiences and drive operational efficiencies throughout their organization. Savvy retailers already employ artificial intelligence (AI) to create distinctive and transformative shopping experiences. For example, the Amazon Echo, a hands-free, voice-controlled digital assistant, letsโ€ฆ

Retail Execs Share Their Advice for a Successful 2017
March 8, 2017 at 4:36 pm

In the Winter 2017 issue of Total Retail, we asked our editorial advisory board what advice they would give to retailers to help them have a successful year. Below are some of their answers (click here for a full list of of our editorial advisory board, including their titles and companies): Peter Cobb: Pick five toโ€ฆ

New Social Trends and Digital Technologies Have Raised the Stakes for Customer Experience
March 8, 2017 at 10:49 am

New technologies powered by โ€œalways onโ€ Wi-Fi connections, social networking platforms and the Internet of Things have given consumers the power to dictate the terms of their relationships with retailers. Their behaviors, preferences and, most importantly, shopping habits are changing rapidly as they access a seemingly ever-expanding array of channels to connect with their peers,โ€ฆ

AWS Outage Affects Internet Retailers ... Except Amazon
March 2, 2017 at 10:59 am

Amazon.com announced Wednesday its Web Services platform (AWS) is back to normal. However, the company has yet to offer an explanation as to why its S3 service went down. Business Insider reports that during the four-hour disruption, 54 of the internet's top 100 retailers had a decrease of 20 percent or greater in site performance, andโ€ฆ

Walker Sands Future of Retail 2016 - Reinventing Retail: 4 Predictions for 2016 and Beyond
February 28, 2017 at 11:03 am

Amazon.com announced Wednesday its Web Services platform (AWS) is back to normal. However, the company has yet to offer an explanation as to why its S3 service went down. Business Insider reports that during the four-hour disruption, 54 of the internetโ€™s top 100 retailers had a decrease of 20 percent or greater in site performance, and [โ€ฆ]