Posts Tagged ‘consumer_markets’

Over on our Portals blog, Michael Porter shared an announcement from Liferay. They have extended the value of their open source portal with  e-commerce functionality for built-in transaction  and payments processing. Liferay Marketplace is the worldwide distribution channel for Liferay-compatible apps designed to provide greater access to enterprise applications for Liferay users. Now with e-commerce features, […]

In backrooms and boardrooms across the country, businesses are discussing the ROI of social media. Where should I put my marketing dollars? What about my time? Why do I care about what Twitter says about my brand? Sometimes you can measure social media ROI by tracking traffic and sentiment and reach. Other times, the ROI […]

Is the physical store dead in retail? Absolutely not. However, it is safe to say that the future of brick and mortar retailing will look very different as the physical store undergoes an incredible metamorphosis. The ongoing consumarization of digital services and experiences is poised to take over the in-store experience for retailers. According to Retail Systems […]

Last year, 2013, Amazon, at $74.5B revenue, became the 4th largest retail business in the US, surpassing #5 Target, ($73.3B); on their way towards eclipsing #3 Kroger ($96.8B), #2 Costco ($105.2B); and given certain growth projections, even eclipsing #1 Walmart ($469.2B) in the next 10 years. If you include the “marketplace” portion of Amazon’s business (selling other retailers merchandise for […]

Park the car, walk the aisles, bring it home. Click, track it online, bring it in off the front porch. Consumers have clearly grown accustomed to these two dominant methods of shopping. Have we perfected the art of omni-channel commerce? Not exactly, but some creative alternative models are making their way to consumers in 2014. […]

So, The Big Show is over for 2014. What are the key takeaways? First, retail is healthy. Not everybody is, that’s for sure, but the industry as a whole is healthy. I was reminded by a longtime colleague yesterday of the mood five years ago, when the financial crisis had hit, and the recession was […]

The NRF’s Big Show is underway and already there’s a lot of information out there to consume and reflect upon. I thought it would be helpful to compile some insights and thoughts around some of the most talked about retail technologies at NRF this year.  Supply Chain and Commerce “The last mile wars are just […]

We know it’s a new year when the NRF Big Show kicks off in January.  Each year we migrate to New York City to see the best and brightest of retail for the next year.  This year is no exception – and like the holiday shopping season just passed, we go looking for the new […]

Information will be the basis for competitive advantage so make it everything you do. A decisive theme conveyed during a number of sessions at NRF for retailers has been the demand for knowledge automation. Ginni Rometty set the tone with a call to arms during the IBM Keynote. Whether it’s uncovering new sources of information […]

Cloud, social, mobile. If these three technologies are in orbit around each other, then APIs are the forces of gravity making it possible. APIs (application programming interfaces) are the glue technology making cloud, social, and mobile possible, and are gaining traction as the fast-track channel for retailing. APIs, specifically web APIs, are simple, lightweight software […]

Mobility Convergence Mobile continues to transform retailing as digital technology not only alters the way in which the Connected Consumer shops but who controls the relationship. From social interactions and marketing to commerce and in-store experiences, mobile technology will be the bridge that connects digital and physical shopping experiences for retailers as they strive to […]

I promise not to talk about drones (well, maybe just a little.) In 1860, with 120 riders, 184 stations, 400 horses and several hundred personnel, the Pony Express reduced the time for messages to travel across the United States to 10 days. It was a successful innovation, but still not fast enough, and after 18 […]