Brick-and-Mortar

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…

A shopper has been holding the same item for two minutes. Her free hand has been busy the whole time: a ring turned, a sleeve straightened, a hand at the wrist. Then it goes still, and both hands come back to the item. She has just decided. It's the clearest signal on your floor all…

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…

Online shopping has redefined what a seamless customer experience looks like. Shoppers can search, evaluate, and complete a purchase independently, on their own terms, with full control over the journey. They move at their own pace, without waiting, relying on others, or experiencing interruption. According to a recent report, When Online Expectations Enter the Physical…

Foot Locker and NIKE, Inc., have announced The Crenshaw Rec by Foot Locker, a first-of-its kind retail destination created in partnership with Crenshaw leaders to celebrate one of Los Angeles' most influential neighborhoods. The store, which is inspired by the role recreation centers have long played as gathering places for sport, culture and connection, will…

In episode 513 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jim Corso, director of real estate at James Avery Artisan Jewelry, a Texas-based vertically integrated, family-owned company offering finely crafted jewelry designs for men and women. Listen in as Corso provides an overview of the jewelry brand and his role (0:55), the catalyst for…

Tractor Supply Co. released its latest earnings report last week and revealed plans to close 75 Petsense locations around the country, reports Fox Business. The rural lifestyle retailer is closing dozens of pet stores in its portfolio around the country as it re-evaluates both its existing footprint and growth plans. Tractor Supply said in its…