Steve Laughlin
Creating An In-Store Retail Revival
Though several major retailers, from Toys “R” Us to Aeropostale, have filed for bankruptcy protection this year and others have closed thousands of stores, all seemingly at the hands of online commerce, reports of the death of retail are greatly exaggerated. In fact, research shows that the industry is booming and that stores still matter. […]
Transforming the Global Supply Chain
To save costs and decrease turnaround time, manufacturers typically turn to the supply chain. They break it down so that individual product parts are made in different areas of the world during each stage of production. From the pen in my pocket, to the shirt in which it sits, to the coffee I’m drinking, it’s […]
The In-Store Retail Imperative: A Return to Relationships
30 years ago the owner of the corner store knew each customer by name, what kind of gifts husbands wanted for their wives and what kinds of items families picked up each week. Over time things have changed. Retail shops merged into multi-category super markets and department stores and ownership consolidated into larger, and larger […]
Transforming Retail this Holiday Season with Cognitive Computing
Holiday shoppers have an infinite digital world of products available for viewing at their fingertips. Stepping into a brick-and-mortar store seems to have lost its appeal. In reality, 85 percent of customers still preferred to shop at physical store last year according to Time Trade. Though that’s positive news for brick-and-mortar retailers, many brands still […]
Retail’s Store of the Future Will Run on Cloud
While e-commerce has attracted customers with a broader selection of products, lower prices and convenience, the importance of stores and store associates cannot be undervalued – especially when 85 percent of consumers still prefer to shop at physical stores. In-store innovations—such as technology enabled associates, location based services including display specific offers, digital content such […]
The Future of Retail is Consumer-Connected and Cognitive
The retail business model is being disrupted and the industry knows it. In a recent study, 58 percent of retailers agree that businesses focused only on brick-and-mortar stores will not survive past the near future, and 72 percent of respondents stated that they believe one or more prominent merchants will disappear in the next one-to-three […]