How Digital Signage Is Changing Hospitality Customer Experience
Hospitality operators are turning to Pro AV and digital signage to create immersive, data‑rich guest experiences. Leaders at Almo Pro AV highlight a shift from isolated TVs to integrated ecosystems that blend audio, lighting, displays, and furniture. The trend emphasizes intuitive, scalable solutions, interactive elements like QR codes, and sustainability through energy‑efficient technologies. These integrated platforms promise higher engagement, operational insights, and brand loyalty.
British Supermarket Pilots Vending Machines to Curb Shoplifting
British supermarket Asda is testing ticket‑based vending machines for high‑theft items such as razor blades. The system lets shoppers select a product, receive a ticket, pay at checkout, then use a second ticket to dispense the item. The pilot follows...
Disney, Hulu Team on Interactive, Immersive Storefronts
Disney+ and Hulu have rolled out “The Drama You Want,” an interactive storefront experience in Manhattan and Santa Monica. The installations turn vacant retail windows into gesture‑controlled displays that let pedestrians browse drama titles by waving their hands. Developed with Publicis...
Psychologists Outline Why Many Skip Self-Checkout
Psychologists say many shoppers skip self‑checkout despite longer lines because brief social exchanges with cashiers—known as weak ties—enhance mood and provide a sense of belonging. While some consumers prize speed, privacy, and control offered by kiosks, the extra scanning and...
Fujifilm Debuts Instax Spot Photo Booth, Print Station
Fujifilm North America launched the instax Spot, a combined photobooth and wireless print station for high‑traffic venues. Available in tabletop and freestanding models, it offers AR effects, QR‑code smartphone printing, and supports both instax mini and Square film. The device is marketed...
How Leading Retailers Are Re-Thinking the Role of the Shopping Cart
Retailers are redefining the shopping cart as a strategic, data‑driven platform rather than merely a checkout tool. AI‑enabled carts equipped with cameras, scales and connectivity are being rolled out beyond pilots to full‑store deployments, allowing real‑time personalization, navigation and in‑store...
What Makes Luxury Customer Support Operationally Different
Luxury customer support differentiates itself through operational control, rapid full‑resolution, and agents who grasp the commercial stakes behind each interaction. Unlike mass‑market centers that chase first‑response time, premium teams route cases by risk, assign a single owner, and measure first‑contact...
Texas Liquor Store Tests Robotic Fulfillment Tech
Goody‑Goody Liquor, a Dallas‑based family store, is piloting a robotic fulfillment system at its Greenville Avenue location. Shoppers scan QR codes on glass‑encased bottles, add items to a digital cart, and watch robots assemble orders on overhead screens. Staff deliver...
Toshiba Taps Kerstin Woods as Chief Solutions, Marketing Executive
Toshiba America Business Solutions has promoted Kerstin Woods to chief solutions and marketing executive, a newly created role that signals the company’s pivot toward cloud, AI and solutions‑driven growth. Woods will continue overseeing the global solutions go‑to‑market and outbound marketing...
OOH Offers Big Return on Investment for Luxury Brands
Out‑of‑home (OOH) advertising delivers a striking 12.8× return on investment for luxury brands—roughly $16 in revenue for every $1 spent—according to Independent Marketing Sciences. Across 24 media channels, luxury’s overall average ROI is 4.7×, making OOH the top‑performing channel. The...
Built to Adapt: How Modular POS Powers the Future of Retail
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions released an infographic highlighting how modular point‑of‑sale (POS) systems enable retailers to adapt quickly to changing market demands. The modular approach combines interchangeable hardware and flexible software, allowing seamless updates, faster checkout, and uninterrupted operations. Insights...
Levi Strauss & Co. CFO/CGO Retiring
Levi Strauss & Co. announced that executive vice president and chief financial and growth officer Harmit Singh will retire, remaining in his role until a successor is found and then moving to a special‑advisor position. Singh, who joined in 2013...
Gen AI Penetrates over Half of US Internet Households
Generative AI now reaches 58% of U.S. internet households, up from 47% in Q4 2024, according to Parks Associates. Adoption is spreading from novelty apps to everyday utilities, but only 16% of households subscribe to paid AI services. ChatGPT remains the...
6 Retail Tech Trends That Will Redefine Shopping Forever
Retail is moving from pure transaction spaces to experience‑driven environments, propelled by rapid tech advances and evolving shopper expectations. AI‑powered personalization and data analytics now enable retailers to predict behavior, optimize layouts, and deliver tailored experiences at scale. Self‑service kiosks...
L.L. Bean Taps Amerpirty to Revamp Customer Journey, Boost Loyalty
L.L. Bean has partnered with Amperity to overhaul its end‑to‑end customer journeys using the firm’s Customer Data Cloud. The new platform will replace legacy systems, unify data, and enable predictive, real‑time personalization across email, direct mail, web, and catalog channels. By...
As Retailers Automate CX Trust Deficit Grows
Retailers are accelerating AI-driven customer‑experience automation, but a trust gap is widening. A Sogolytics survey of 1,011 U.S. adults shows 47% will abandon brands that misuse data, while only 19% believe AI improves CX. One‑third of shoppers say a single...
“Where’s My Package” Problem: The Revolution in Retail Logistics
Retail logistics is evolving from a back‑office function into a core customer‑experience driver. New "agentic" platforms monitor shipments in real time, automatically reroute parcels to avoid bottlenecks, and resolve issues before customers notice. Innovations such as micro‑sector address mapping cut...
Andon Launches AI-Run Store in San Francisco
Andon Labs has opened Andon Market, an experimental retail store in San Francisco run by an artificial‑intelligence agent called Luna. Luna receives a corporate card, a budget and access to digital tools, allowing it to choose products, set prices, manage vendors,...
Digital-Style In-Store Media Proving Complex for Physical Store Environments
A new In‑Store Marketplace report finds that in‑store media suffers from a dual measurement problem: misaligned success metrics among brands, retailers, agencies and retail media networks, and tools borrowed from digital that don’t fit physical stores. Interviews with U.S. and...
Brands Falling Short on Emotional Drivers
A new Phaedon research report reveals that U.S. consumer brands are overestimating loyalty, as customers note a persistent gap between valued emotional drivers and brand delivery. While companies score well on reliability, data security and program clarity, they fall short...
AI Is Accelerating Commerce, but Service-Led AI Is Where Brands Win
AI‑driven agentic commerce is surging, with AI‑referenced shopping traffic up 693% YoY in late 2025 and still 527% higher in early 2026. While social commerce still leads referral growth, brands are finding the biggest upside by embedding AI directly into...
RunDTC Partners with Dooney & Bourke to Modernize Retail Ecosystem
RunDTC has been hired by luxury accessories maker Dooney & Bourke to overhaul its retail ecosystem, moving the brand’s global e‑commerce sites from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify and installing Shopify POS in all brick‑and‑mortar locations. The migration promises faster site performance,...
Retail AI Council Debuts AI Assistant
On April 16, 2026, the Retail AI Council launched Ask.RetailAICouncil, an AI assistant that delivers retailer‑specific guidance derived from practitioner expertise rather than vendor marketing. The tool helps users research vendors, compare software solutions, draft RFP outlines, and prepare internal stakeholder...
How Agentic Ecosystems Are Redefining the Consumer Experience
Agentic AI—multiple AI agents collaborating across a retailer’s systems—is poised to reshape both back‑office operations and the shopper journey. The MACH Alliance 2026 Enterprise Technology Report shows 99% of firms with composable architectures achieve measurable AI outcomes, and 75% of...
Huck’s Market Deploys Tote POS Platform
Huck's Market, a 135‑store Midwest convenience‑store chain, has begun rolling out Tote’s AI‑native point‑of‑sale platform, starting with a pilot in Carmi, Illinois. The system, designed specifically for fuel and convenience retail, promises faster transactions, an intuitive interface, and clearer visibility...
Verizon Hospitality Leader Shares Insight on Eliminating Retail's Phantom Inventory
Verizon’s hospitality strategy leader Katie Riddle explains how phantom inventory—when system data shows stock that isn’t physically present—drives lost sales and erodes loyalty. She identifies legacy batch‑update systems and poor shelf monitoring as root causes. Riddle highlights computer‑vision cameras and...
Lowe’s Debuts Home Maintenance Subscription Program Powered by Store Associates
Lowe’s has launched HomeCare+, a nationwide home‑maintenance subscription powered by its red‑vest store associates. For $99 a year, members receive two visits covering up to seven services such as dryer‑vent cleaning and HVAC filter replacement. The program is exclusive to...
Autonomous Retail Concept Scales up at Circa Resort
VenHub Global Inc. is teaming with Las Vegas‑based Circa Resort & Casino to debut what the partners call the world’s most advanced autonomous smart‑store. The 66‑foot, three‑unit installation will launch this spring, offering 24/7, staff‑free retail powered by AI‑driven robotics...
More Consumers Tapping AI when Looking for a Deal
Nearly 70% of shoppers now turn to AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to locate discounts, according to the 2026 Shopper Study by XCCommerce and SmartBrief. An even larger 83% say savings and rewards drive loyalty to a...
Customer Experience Horror Stories and How Better Connection Prevents Them
Lisa Orford argues that most retail customer‑experience horror stories stem from disconnected internal systems, not bad intentions. She outlines recurring failures such as vanished requests, endless re‑explanations, channel ping‑pong, and uninformed agents. The piece positions unified communication and real‑time team...
Think Big: New 75-Inch Color ePaper for Digital Out of Home
E Ink has launched a family of 75‑inch color ePaper displays aimed at the digital‑out‑of‑home (DOOH) market. The rollout includes three distinct technology platforms, each offering the hallmark ePaper benefits of ultra‑low power consumption and high sunlight readability. These large‑format...
Toshiba Leader Talks Mobile Device Innovations, Retail Customer Experience Tech
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions unveiled its TCx M7 handheld alongside the existing TCx M11 tablet, expanding a mobile‑first portfolio aimed at turning any store associate into a portable checkout and service point. The company also promoted its AI‑driven Elera Security Suite, now...
Real Estate Firm Taps Eyefactive for Interactive Touchscreen
Dune Real Estate Partners, a New York‑based luxury property investor, has installed a 55‑inch Taurus Touch Table from eyefactive to deliver immersive, interactive property tours. The touchscreen runs eyefactive’s no‑code software, presenting 360° virtual views, interactive floor plans, and integrated brochures,...
Buc-Ee’s Launching First Ohio Store
Buc‑ee’s, the Texas‑based travel‑stop chain, will open its first Ohio location in Huber Heights on April 6, 2026. The launch marks the brand’s entry into the Midwest after rapid growth in the South and West. It is the first of...
Swipe Fees Hit Record-Setting $198.25B
U.S. merchants paid a record $198.25 billion in credit and debit card swipe fees in 2025, according to the Merchants Payments Coalition. The total represents a 5.9% jump from 2024 and an 80% increase since the pandemic, with fees climbing 219%...
Buc-Ee's Rolling Out Specialty Coffee Vending
Buc‑ees is partnering with Costa Coffee to install automated specialty coffee kiosks at its travel‑center locations across the United States. The self‑service machines deliver barista‑style drinks such as espresso, cappuccino, latte and flat white in roughly 90 seconds via a...
How to Protect Razor-Thin Retail Margins with AI
Retail margins are collapsing, with grocery net margins falling below 1.5%, echoing the 2008 crisis. A recent NVIDIA study shows 89% of retailers using AI report higher revenue and 95% see lower operating costs. AI delivers the strongest returns in...
Uber Debuts Safety Ride Program for Female Customers
Uber has launched the "Women Preferences" safety ride program nationwide in the United States, enabling female riders to request a female driver on‑demand or via advance reservation. The feature, which began as a pilot in 2019 and expanded to 26...
Circa Resort & Casino Teams with VenHub on Autonomous Smart Store
Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas has partnered with VenHub to install a 66‑by‑10‑by‑10‑foot autonomous smart store. The robot‑powered kiosk will let guests browse and buy food, snacks, alcohol and smokeless‑tobacco around the clock, eliminating checkout lines and...
Smelly Ad Campaign Draws Negative Consumer Response
Magnum Ice Cream launched a two‑week sensory campaign in London’s King’s Cross station, spraying a chocolate scent and playing a crackling bite sound. Commuters reacted negatively, describing the experience as unpleasant and likening it to a “urine spill.” The backlash...
Selectable, Not Just Seen: Why Brand Visibility Isn’t Enough in AI Commerce
The article argues that traditional brand visibility is no longer sufficient in AI‑driven commerce. Retailers must become "selectable" by ensuring their product data is structured, consistent, and aligned with the language shoppers use. Algorithms now act as the primary referees,...
Friar Tux AI Try-On Tool Offers Virtual Formalwear Shopping Experience
Friar Tux, a long‑standing formal‑wear retailer, introduced an AI‑powered virtual try‑on tool that creates a personalized tuxedo rendering in about 30 seconds after a customer uploads a photo. The feature lets shoppers compare styles and colors remotely, supporting wedding and...
Retail Sales Expected to Grow 4.4% This Year
The National Retail Federation, partnered with Oxford Economics, forecasts U.S. retail sales to grow 4.4% in 2026, reaching about $5.6 trillion. This rate outpaces the ten‑year pre‑pandemic average growth of 3.6%, indicating renewed consumer momentum after the pandemic dip. The outlook,...
Customers Reject AI Slop: Don’t Let Automated Ads Ruin Your Retail Marketing Strategy
Retail marketers are facing backlash as AI‑generated ad “slop” erodes brand trust. Recent incidents like Blue Apron’s gibberish copy highlight consumer rejection of low‑quality automated content, now dubbed Merriam‑Webster’s 2025 Word of the Year. While platforms such as Meta and...
February Retail Sales Reveal Moderate Gains
Retail sales in February rose 0.28% from January and surged 6.24% year‑over‑year, marking the fifth straight month of monthly gains. Over the first two months, total sales were up 6.04% YoY and core sales climbed 5.76%. Growth was broad‑based, with...
Cape Cod Cafe Pizza Hits 400-Plus Target Stores
Cape Cod Café announced that its frozen pizza line is now stocked in over 400 Target stores nationwide, marking the company’s largest retail expansion to date. The rollout covers the Northeast, Mid‑Atlantic and Southeast, introducing cheese, pepperoni, buffalo chicken and...
2026 Will Be a Year of Rapid Technological Advancement
In 2026 small‑business retailers will confront rapid AI‑driven efficiency gains alongside heightened cost pressures from persistent tariffs and a bifurcated K‑shaped economy. While AI promises customized sales content, autonomous logistics and robotics, many firms fear automation could erode core labor...
What Makes the Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show a Must-Attend Event?
The Automated Retail & Kiosk Innovation Show (ARKI) returns Dec. 14‑16, 2026 in Miami Beach, targeting operators, brands, and technology providers. Since its 2020 debut, the event has evolved from a pure tech showcase to a deployment‑focused forum emphasizing scalability, reliability, and...
From Vending Machines to Autonomous Retail: The Evolution of Grab and Go Shopping
Physical retail is rapidly adopting autonomous, checkout‑free models that let shoppers pick items and leave without scanning. The piece traces the technology from early vending machines through digital payments, smart vending, and finally AI‑driven grab‑and‑go stores. These stores rely on...
SiriusXM VP Talks Music Impact Within the Retail Digital Signage Experience
SiriusXM’s VP of commercial music, Stuart Larking, highlighted the growing role of music in digital signage, citing its ability to increase dwell time and sales. He noted that Pandora CloudCover’s new signage features let retailers pair curated, fully licensed music...