Alibaba Shattered Singles’ Day Records Again in 2017—Here’s How

Singles’ Day, November 11, is the biggest online shopping day in the world. The holiday was originally created in the 1990s by Chinese college students who wanted to celebrate their single status. In 2009, Alibaba used the idea to market… Continue Reading

The Intelligent Voice Appliance Market Is Getting Quite Crowded

In the beginning, there was Siri. The groundbreaking voice assistant only worked with recent-model iPhones, however, and its imperfect voice recognition led it to be the object of many a joke and cartoon. Siri’s wake saw additional assistants from other… Continue Reading

How Can Brick and Mortar Stores Steal Back Shoppers From Amazon This Holiday Season?

    In the battle against e-commerce—and especially against e-commerce behemoth Amazon—long-standing brick-and-mortar retailers are often urged to differentiate themselves by offering exclusive product and quality experiences. But what will actually drive shoppers to physical stores this coming holiday season?… Continue Reading

Amazon Is Making Big Changes at Whole Foods Market and Creating Waves in Grocery

On August 28—the day Amazon closed its $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market—subtle changes were already evident in Whole Foods stores, New York Produce Market they work with the most recognizable brands of fresh produce in the industry, as… Continue Reading

The New iPhones Are Here: Should You Buy the 8 Now, or Wait for the X in November?

This week, Apple launched not one long-anticipated new iPhone—but two—whose specifications fell generally in line with rumors and industry watchers’ expectations. There is such a large number of partners and suppliers involved in the creation of any new generation of… Continue Reading

Amazon Pushes Further into Fashion in Europe

Amazon Pushes Further into Fashion in Europe This week, Amazon officially launched its first fashion private label that is designed in Europe specifically for European shoppers. The Find brand launched with a flurry of press coverage as well as an… Continue Reading

Is Europe Ripe for an Off-Price Boom?

This summer saw the opening of what is only the second major off-price chain in Europe. Hudson’s Bay Company brought its Saks Off 5th off-price format to Europe in June, with the opening of its inaugural store in Düsseldorf. It… Continue Reading

Facial Recognition: Coming Soon to a Smartphone Near You

Source: istockphoto.com

Facial recognition has long been the stuff of science fiction, with books and movies including scenes of facial or retinal scans being used to identify entrants to sensitive military complexes. The technology has also been used for certain niche purposes… Continue Reading

Amazon: The Sleeping Dragon in Private Label

Amazon is much more than a household name, given that more than half of US households already have an Amazon Prime membership, according to Cowen and Company estimates. However, Amazon’s emerging private-label brands have not yet achieved widespread name recognition,… Continue Reading

Loyalty Programs Are About More than Just Loyalty (Hint: It Is the Data!)

Taipei, Taiwan - March 7, 2012: starbucks coffee shop in Taipei station front metro mall. It's the most popular coffee shop in Taiwan.

Retail loyalty programs have a long history in the US. According to rewards program solutions company Smile.io, these programs started in the 18th century, when retailers would give customers copper tokens that could be redeemed for future purchases. Starting in… Continue Reading