Retail
The “Next-Gen” shopping experience will rely on a solid data foundation
Retail has endured a turbulent time. The past decades have seen a painful shift from traditional brick-and-mortar to the online shopping experience. Driven in no small extent by a desire for instant gratification; tech-native Millennials have demanded personalization, speed, and frictionless online shopping experiences. And while this has fueled innovation and the development of mobile, […]
Keeping it green: IoT for sustainable retail
Stuck for a New Year’s resolution? Shopping more sustainably might be a good one. Especially if you’re suffering pangs of guilt following a Christmas plastic binge (think Christmas cracker toys and disposable cutlery, for instance.) Sustainable retail means many things, from opting for responsibly farmed produce, to keeping an eye on your carbon footprint. And retailers […]
How retailers are optimizing your Black Friday experience
I’m not sure how to feel about Black Friday. On the one hand, the discounts can be quite spectacular. On the other, the rush to bag a bargain can turn otherwise reasonable human beings into fearless denizens of the underworld, clawing their way towards would-be purchases with fierce abandon. It’s a scary time to be […]
The retail future isn’t about products—It’s about possibilities
If you want to buy a bike today, chances are you research parts online, ask your cyclist friends for tips and visit multiple shops to try out frames. Imagine walking into a next-gen retail bike shop with nothing more than your data—from your fitness tracker, health apps, GPS, body scan, purchase history—and the cyclist guru […]
10 genius quotes from Genius of Things Boston
The Genius of Things in Boston is a wrap! A big thank you to the more than 400+ attendees who joined us in person and via the livestream. Below is a sampling of some of the best quotes we heard throughout the day. . “Think big. Start small. Go fast.” – Bob Wolpert, corporate senior […]
Retail industry undergoes transformation with the IoT
We’re writing today our shopping list for the future. Until the 1950s, most people shopped in small markets. They told a clerk what they wanted, and the clerk selected goods from the shelves or from the little stock at the back of the store. On June 26, 1974, at a Marsh chain supermarket in Troy, Ohio, […]
The bride’s guide to wedding survival: with help from the IoT
It’s wedding season! If that makes you leap for joy, good for you. If it makes you want to gouge out your own eyeballs and hide in a cave, that’s also fine. The IoT is here to help. It hasn’t caught up with every aspect of this most traditional of ceremonies, but can still help […]
Migros Zurich drives down cost using asset management
Migros Zurich deployed an IBM Enterprise Asset Management solution that enabled maintenance staff to work more productively on-the-go, cutting time and cost of repairs and providing a better shopping environment for customers. Retail businesses need to operate seamlessly and offer the most efficient and well-managed shopping experiences to their customers to outdo their competitors. Most […]
Why retailers should be tickled pink about going green
Like it or not, sustainability is a priority for today’s consumers. Almost 75% of all Millennials and Gen Zers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, according to survey data from Nielsen. But, don’t make the mistake of thinking that sustainability is only important to those aged 35 and under. 50% of Baby Boomers […]
GoT summit: Taking retail everywhere with connected commerce
Steve Laughlin, General Manager, Consumer Industries, IBM and Paul Wilkinson, Head of Technology Research, Tesco Labs, explore how connected commerce is changing the face of retail. Changing customer expectations While 85% of consumers still prefer to shop in-store, their expectations are shifting. Now, they are demanding experiences that transcend physical and digital boundaries. The retail […]
Visa and IBM are bringing the world secure payment experiences through the IoT
Portable wallets: your car can become a contactless credit card In a first of a kind collaboration, Visa and IBM are teaming up to bring secure payment experiences through the IoT. Using a combination of Visa’s global payments capabilities and IBM’s proven cognitive capabilities with Watson IoT Platform, businesses can now quickly introduce secure payment […]
Can the Internet of Things breathe new life into brick and mortar retail?
Brick and mortar is dead. Or at least, according to some. Naysayers have been ringing the death knell of the retail store for some time. Online commerce is booming, with online sales totaling $341.7 billion in 2015, a 14.6% increase over the previous year, according to the US Department of Commerce. Last year, ecommerce accounted […]