Technology
Top-earning retailers can’t do without an app
All of department stores and online retailers in the Top 100 lists now offer a mobile application, up from 60% and 56% respectively in 2012, according to Ketner Group unit Digby.
Digby’s analysis, based on magazine and retailer lists, also show that all of the top 20 revenue-producing retailers from 2012 are now offering branded mobile apps for customers.
Further, 70% of retailers in the Top 100 Retailers list and 47% of brands in the Hot 100 list now offer mobile apps.
Taking Stock: Watami manages labor shortage with queuing kiosk
The high staff turnover and competing market is a common problem among retailers and restaurants. Japanese casual dining restaurant group Watami Group was no exception.
The popular Japan chain restaurant is often found with diners in long queue and extended waiting times for tables. Queuing time could be as long as an hour during lunch and after-work peak hours. To keep the hungry and impatient diners happy, Watami had to dedicate a server at the reception area to manage the waiting crowd.
High-tech hangers offer shopping tips
Normally when a customer shops for, say, a jacket or a shirt, it's up to the salesclerk to suggest matching items to generate a bigger sale.
But now high-tech hangers can do the job. When a jacket is lifted from a rack, an embedded sensor sends a signal to a computer and switches on a brief video showing a recommended combination, or how it looks worn by a female idol.
Infosys, SAP partner to develop mobile app for retail sector
Infosys has collaborated with SAP to develop mobile applications for the retail sector. These efforts are focused on giving consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies anytime, anywhere access to sales representatives and merchandisers, enabling them to capture information from the field to make them competitive and agile.
India's Gitanjali Group manages supply chain through data visualization
Gitanjali Group, a global jewelry manufacturer-retailer, said recently it will use SAS Visual Analytics to explore and analyze business data, including supply chain and profitability metrics.
It also expects the high-performance analytical solution to enhance decision making and widen the acceptance of advanced analytical modeling within the organization.
Mobile: Retailers' best bet against showrooming?
A new study released by TNS showed that mobile can play a valuable role in reducing the risk of 'showrooming,' or the practice of people visiting retail stores only to see or test products but buy them later elsewhere.
TNS said this has emerged as a significant threat to the high street as one-third of mobile users globally admit to 'showrooming' behavior.
However, results of the latest Mobile Life study reveal that mobile can also help reduce the risk associated with showrooming.
Metro Group modernizes analytics infrastructure
International retailer Metro Group has upgraded its database-driven analytic environment with new capabilities as part of a new strategy to implement a new enterprise information system strategy.
The new analytics solution from the Teradata Analytical Ecosystem is a comprehensive portfolio of hardware, software, and services that would enable analytics and greater insight across the organization.
China CITIC Bank, MasterCard sign agreement on virtual payments
China CITIC Bank and MasterCard have agreed to jointly develop virtual payment products including Quick Response (QR) code services to be offered within and outside China.
The cooperation agreement signed recently involves pursuing innovations in virtual card payment technology, product development, acceptance and risk management.
The two companies have previously launched a variety of credit cards together.
Tim Murphy, Chief Product Officer of MasterCard, said this new partnership will pursue their shared vision of a "world beyond cash."
CEO Talking Shop: Bluebell Group leverages cloud computing to revolutionize luxury retailing
Hong Kong-based Bluebell has been bringing high quality fashion brands to the region since 1954. The company is a retail distributor of over 50 brands—including Carven, Moschino, Jimmy Choo and Davidoff—across six countries within the region.
Like many traditional luxury retailers, Bluebell focuses on exclusive quality services for shoppers at their retail stores. But changes in the habits of luxury shoppers is driving the company to expand its distributorship from the offline space towards the online world.
RetailWATCH: Traffic Intelligence, The Science of Shopper Conversion
Without knowledge of store traffic, advertising and promotion performance, weather and seasonality effects, and conversion of shoppers to buyers are guesswork at best. Store traffic and currently measured POS results are the essential factors in calculating conversion, the “missing metric” that unlocks adaptive strategies to build retail success.
