Wholesale Store Innovation: Sam’s Club Takes the Lead
In the 1980s, wholesale clubs revolutionized retail. Wholesalers, like BJ’s and Sam’s Club have succeeded but, the warehouse concept hasn’t change much since then. That’s why Walmart is developing an entirely new concept for Sam’s Club. The store is in Lower Greenville, a neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. Sam’s Club will test new technology at this store/wholesale […]
Total Immersion: Walmart’s VR Retail Training
Training is a fundamental part of any retailer’s operations. New associates need to be brought up to speed on best practices as soon as possible. Current employees also need to be trained when retailers adopt new technology or best practices evolve. VR retail training is an innovative way for retailers to accomplish both of these […]
Delivery in Retail: How Brick-and-Mortar Can Get the Edge
Of the many advantages offered by online over brick-and-mortar retail, one of the least spoken about is delivery in retail. The way in which retailers deliver product into the hands of customers has gone through many changes throughout the years. Mail-order era companies like Sears and Roebuck gave way to the department store, followed by […]
Retail Social Media: Harvesting Likes, Sales and Impressions
With Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram now occupying a seemingly permanent place in our society, social media has become a force that must be reckoned with at every level of public and private life. In the world of retail, social media has the potential to be a powerful tool for advertising, sales, and increasing brand engagement. […]
The Fall of Sears: A Failure to Adapt to Changing Retail Trends
The most high-profile tragedy in the retail world of the last few years has to be the fall of Sears. Once the single largest retailer in the United States, Sears couldn’t adapt to changing retail trends, first by not anticipating the rise of the superstore, and then later by falling well short of the kind […]
Retail Mobile Apps: The Case for (and Against)
Retail mobile apps are some of the most visible in-store innovations to customers. Many retailers push these apps through point of sale promotions and glossy television or online ads, encouraging shoppers to download and install the app in order to receive a promotional offer in addition to the potential quality of life improvement of having […]
The AI Assistant Revolution Comes to Retail
No longer the stuff of science fiction, AI has forever changed the way we interact with computers. User interface paradigms have evolved to be easier and more intuitive. First, we had text-based command lines which required extensive knowledge of an esoteric vocabulary of jargon and scripting language to use. After that we moved on to […]
Custom Retail in the World of Sporting Goods
Sporting goods occupy a unique spot in the custom retail market. Whereas many other products are either purchased as is or seeing a resurgence in customization, sports equipment and sportswear have been tinkered with by athletes, coaches, and trainers for the past several decades. This customization can range from simple logos and team colors all […]
Smarter Systems: AI and Machine Learning in Retail
AI and machine learning in retail bring two of the most exciting growth areas in modern technologically innovative spaces to one of civilizations oldest activities: shopping. They seize the imagination and inspire visions of rapidly improving productivity and intuitive design that adapts to human needs, rather than the other way around. This is particularly exciting […]
Innovations in Pharmacy: How Tech is Revolutionizing the Drugstore
For decades now, the drugstore has served as the most immediate and accessible outlet for healthcare, bridging the gap between the worlds of retail and medicine. Pharmacies deliver vital medications that improve the quality of life for countless patients, while over the counter remedies offer quick and easy relief for less severe conditions. In the […]
