Searching for:brick-and-mortar retail

Fashion retail: mobile discovery, more convenient shopping

How Breuninger is breaking boundaries with omnichannel

Breuninger, with twelve stores in Germany and another in Luxembourg, provides a traditional shopping experience ...

Intelligent shopping assistant: how can it help in the store?

Practical examples of use in DIY stores and fashion stores

Product search, navigation, shopping basket management and checkout: intelligent shopping assistants can now be integrated into ...

Rethinking advertising communication?

Interview with Online Software

With its PRESTIGE AI Copilot software, the company is bringing artificial intelligence directly into brick-and-mortar retail. But how does the smart assistant help to make optimum use of in-store screens and electronic shelf labels? ...

Trigo and Netto Announce Autonomous Supermarket with Real-Time Receipt Capability.

‘Final step’ in frictionless shopping drives trust by enabling consumers to view their receipts BEFORE leaving the store
Full size 800m2 grocery supermarket powered by computer vision AI is Europe’s largest retrofitted frictionless store

Trigo, a leading provider of AI computer vision technology that transforms traditional brick-and-mortar retail outlets into digital smart stores, and discount supermarket chain Netto Marken-Discount (also known as Netto), have partnered to launch ...

Aldi and (e-)commerce in China

How the discounter is positioning itself in East Asia and what others can learn from it

"China is a highly competitive market," says Renata Thiébaut. Nevertheless, the company, headquartered in the Ruhr region, seems to have shown elbows and is now selling successfully there. The professor of e-commerce and China expert ...

Grove Co. announces new retail partnerships with Kroger, Costco and Hannaford

Leading sustainable consumer products company increases in-store presence at 450 additional brick & mortar locations

Grove Collaborative Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GROV) (“Grove” or “the Company”), a leading sustainable consumer products company and Certified B Corp, today announced another significant retail expansion for Grove Co., its ...

Something is stirring on the shelf

Attracting attention with animated product presentation

A few aisles, many haphazard shelves and even more competing products – how can brands stand out from the crowd? A Romanian start-up has also asked itself this question. The answer: Tokinomo, an interactive robot arm that brings products to ...

Multitouch: Omnichannel service in brick-and-mortar retailing

Product information and customer service 2.0 with multi-touch table from digimago

digimago GmbH takes in-store service and product information to a new level – thanks to a multi-touch table complete with product recognition.Founder and CEO André Bartscher told us more about it and explained why such solutions are ...

EuroShop 2023: GLORY with new CASHINFINITY™

The payment expert presented the new CASHINFINITY™ generation CI-X

At EuroShop from 26 February to 2 March 2023, GLORY will be showcasing solutions that are both future-proof and holistic – technologies that help retailers meet current and future challenges in various areas, from the checkout zone to the back ...

Hybrid stores: Connected components for the store concept of the future

Intelligent network audio, video and access solutions for hybrid stores from Axis

A hybrid store concept that operates autonomously outside regular business hours sounds like a highly complex challenge. In many cases, however, the existing infrastructure is already a solid basis and only needs to be integrated sensibly with smart ...

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: challenges, stumbling blocks and solutions

What matters before, during and after big shopping events

Bargains, deals and savings as far as the eye can see: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, ushering in the most competitive time of the year. We spoke to Stefan Mennecke, Vice President of Sales - MEA, Central, Eastern ...

"Wolt Drive": Finnish delivery service now makes its fleet available to all traders

Interview: Wolt offers local traders new opportunities to keep up with online trade

Online retail has dominated the industry not only since the pandemic. Young people in particular, but increasingly older people as well, use the web to do their shopping. This primarily benefits the market-dominating internet giants. In order for ...

With mailing bags against cardboard shortage & packaging waste

Interview: Hamburg-based start-up Boomerang tries to solve two problems of online trade with one stone thanks to an innovative idea

Since the pandemic, online trade is booming like never before. But what sounds like a blessing can also become a burden. Packaging waste is increasing rapidly and polluting the environment. At the same time, the global crises are causing a shortage ...

Online grocery shopping during COVID-19

NITC study about barriers, access and what happens next

When the COVID-19 pandemic first swept across North America and led to emergency shutdowns during the spring of 2020, the way people acquired food and household necessities was dramatically impacted. As stay-at-home orders minimized personal travel, ...

How the COVID pandemic has upended brick-and-mortar retailing

Consumer behavior: “Ten years of digital transformation happened in two years”

There is no question that the Corona pandemic has changed the retail industry. Brian Dammeir, President North America at payment service provider Adyen, explains clearly which developments ...

Checkout: The right option for every taste

Find the right self-checkout solution for your store

Scanning goods during the shopping process? At the express checkout? Anywhere my customers engage my employees for payment? The options for checkout are as varied as the spices in the kitchen of a three-star restaurant ...

Are regular stores a thing of the past?

GlobalData: Online shopping trend to completely change how we shop at physical stores by 2030

People love the convenience of shopping online, and experts at GlobalData believe that, by 2030, this will have an even greater impact on the high street than we see today. ...

Fully automated stores: Pepper for your fulfillment service

How to provide your clientele with a convenient omnichannel shopping experience

Your customers are still hungry for their favorite snack late at night, but they are standing in front of closed doors at your branch because your staff has already gone home? Your product range is very diverse, but you still want your customers to ...

SMYTHE's first fashion boutique opens

Creating a sensory atmosphere to change the pace of customers

For its first brick-and-mortar location, the women’s fashion brand SMYTHE has taken over a heritage storefront in north Toronto’s trendy Summerhill district and infused it with a palette rich in raw textures and natural finishes.Its ...

Omnichannel fulfillment: the best of both worlds

The platform of the start-up fulfillmenttools takes deliveries to a new level.

Large product selection, short delivery times, availability anytime, anywhere. Customer demands have changed with the booming e-commerce business. Retailers have to react flexibly and still think about their brick-and-mortar business.  ...

Neiman Marcus celebrates launch of new collection

Valentino partners with Neiman Marcus for the launch of the Valentino Escape 2022 collection

Valentino is collaborating with Neiman Marcus as the national exclusive brick-and-mortar luxury retailer for the launch of the Valentino Escape 2022 collection. To celebrate the partnership, Neiman Marcus is hosting a festive launch event on June 21 ...

Creation of a customer-centric omnichannel experience

Teamwork Commerce partners with Connected Retail by Zalando

Teamwork Commerce, a global provider in fashion retail, announces technical partnership with Connected Retail by Zalando enabling omnichannel retailers to reach millions of customers on Zalando. Zalando is one of the leading online platforms ...

Challenges in multichannel marketing

3 major retail trends that will force change in your content creation processes

The demands on retail creative production are huge. From web to print, PoS to packaging, social to paid advertising, and more, there are endless pieces of visual content needed to power a large, multi-channel retail brand.Plus, nobody is unaware of ...

retail salsa Tech Talks – Industry discussion live for the first time from EuroCIS 2022

Hot topics of the retail tech industry: automation & AI, smart stores, interactive touchpoints

After one and a half years of successful webtalks in the format "retail salsa – Spice up your Community", we took the EuroCIS 2022, which took place again from 31.05.-02.06. after a pandemic break, as an opportunity to organize the ...

Planning staff and assortment optimally

Interview about technologies for measuring visitor flows and movement patterns

State-of-the-art technologies enable retailers to measure the behavior of visitors in their stores and plan accordingly in terms of both staff and product range.XPOLI is a provider of such technologies, which use sensors to create and analyze ...

Blue Yonder: Most consumers willing to delay deliveries if it's more sustainable

Survey finds 86% of consumers willing to wait longer for their orders if it helps the environment, 44% say their interest in shopping sustainably has increased since the start of the pandemic

Blue Yonder has released findings from its 2022 Consumer Sustainability Survey, which revealed retail consumer preferences related to sustainable shopping habits. The survey found that more than three-quarters (86%) of consumers are willing to delay ...

Virtual try-on with AR in e-commerce

Enhanced and personalized online shopping through augmented reality

It has become standard practice for customers to find product descriptions as well as images or videos for illustration purposes when shopping online. But just because consumers can see a front view or estimate the size with the help of a tape ...

DTC and brick-and-mortar brands use value-driven personalization to score big

Winners of Sailthru’s Retail Personalization Index 2022: Thrive Market, Sephora, DSW, Best Buy, Adidas

Sailthru announced the results of the 2022 Retail Personalization Index. Thrive Market, the health-first membership for conscious living, and Sephora, global beauty retailer, have tied for the top spot in the 5th annual analysis. ...

Playfully - simple? Gamification in retail

How retailers can win new customers with gamification

Whether at the bus stop, in the waiting room, out and about in the city or relaxing on the sofa - the smartphone has become a constant companion for most people over the last ten years. Anyone who has a moment to spare takes a look at the countless ...

EuroCIS 2022: Trending topics and innovations concerning Retail Technology

Customer Centricity, Analytics, Payment, Connected Retail and Seamless Store

EuroCIS, The Leading Trade Fair for Retail Technology, held from 31 May to 2 June 2022 in Halls 9 and 10 of Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre is the international communication forum for innovations and trend themes, especially for technology in the ...

Omnichannel strategies in the opticians' industry: Dirk Graber from Mister Spex

AI, AR and online tools in the eyewear trade: statements from eyes + more, Fielmann, Mister Spex, pro optik and Rottler

Offline or online? Contrasting these two concepts as opposites is outdated; the physical and digital worlds mix and complement each other – especially in retail. We took a look at the optical industry as an example of this.In a series of ...

Scan & Go is a multi-talented tool for retailers and customers

How to use the smartphones of your consumers for convenience, sales and marketing

On March 16th, we prepared another spicy meal for you as a tasting sample about the options, benefits and challenges of Scan & Go services. With many poignant questions of our audience and the valuable and current input of our experts, ...

How will consumers buy eyewear in the future?

Measured and focused: online, offline or omnichannel at the optician

The "onlineization" stops at nothing, not even at the eyewear trade. Online purchases of eyeglass frames, sunglasses or contact lenses are widespread. But what about topics such as virtual eyeglass fitting or measuring visual acuity from ...

Electronic shelf labels - electronically labeled

On the way to becoming a standard: Digital prices conquer the space

More and more retailers are trying out electronic shelf labels. Why? More speed in price changes and less manual work for staff are only two of the many reasons. EuroCIS, The Leading Trade Fair for Retail Technology, from 31 May - 02 June 2022 in ...

'Bricks beat Clicks' on Google as Walmart, Nordstrom and BestBuy make search visibility gains

Brick-and-mortar retailers dominate Searchmetrics’ top 10 eCommerce winners

Traditional big box retailers and department store brands with brick-and-mortar locations dominate the list of top ten eCommerce websites with the biggest gains in google.com search performance in 2021, new research finds.While apple.com enjoyed the ...

"Amazon Go" or "Amazon No"?

Our iXtenso editor tested a “just-walk-out store” from Amazon in Chicago

Is Amazon's ambitious "Amazon Go" project quietly going under? Or is it about to catch on and become ubiquitous? I tried to find answers to these questions at a store in Chicago.  ...

One in five will buy groceries online in 2024

Report highlights need for grocers to improve online experiences

Spryker Systems has launched its U.S. Online Grocery Report 2022. The research finds that almost half (47 percent) of Americans buy at least some of their groceries online. The research surveyed 2,500 consumers from across the U.S. on their ...

Think tank releases digitization action plans for business resilience

Series of direct-to-consumer (D2C) reports answers fundamental questions in massive ecommerce shift

Policy2050.com, a think tank for tech policy and business strategy, has released a series of reports about new developments in direct-to-consumer channels: “D2C and Other Digital Adaptations During COVID-19,” “D2C in ...

EuroCIS 2022: Electronic shelf labels – electronically labeled

Digital prices conquer the space

More and more retailers are trying out electronic shelf labels. Why? More speed in price changes and less manual work for staff are only two of the many reasons.EuroCIS from 15-17 February 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany, will showcase a wide range ...

75% of online grocery orders to be fulfilled at grocery stores

Demand for grocery home delivery has plateaued according to 40,000 U.S. customers

Mercatus announced findings from its annual eGrocery survey of U.S. consumers, conducted in collaboration with Incisiv. The report, titled "eGrocery Transformed: 2021 market projections and insight into online grocery's elevated ...

Instacart acquires Caper AI

Smart cart and smart checkout technologies

Instacart announced its acquisition of Caper AI (“Caper”), an AI-powered shopping cart and checkout technology platform. With this acquisition, Instacart aims to help retailers unify the in-store and online shopping experience for ...

COVID-19 in brick-and-mortar retail

Updates on developments concerning COVID pandemic

The Corona pandemic is an ongoing predicament with constant changes and challenges for all involved, people, societies and industries. Here we collect news on the pandemic situation for the retail industry. ...

Cloud POS technology – shaping up the future of retail and restaurant industries

The escalating trend of online payments is expected to strengthen the cloud POS market up to 2026

The digital payment landscape is transforming incredibly, worldwide. With specific technological advancements and penetration of cloud systems being a top priority, various corporations, retailers, and in-store leaders have pivoted to the use of ...

Long-term preparations for mid-pandemic brick-and-mortar retail

Under what circumstances do consumers enjoy their physical customer journey?

The COVID pandemic is not over. That’s a hard but necessary truth. And brick-and-mortar retailers need to face that. But there is also good news. While expanding e-commerce and omnichannel services is important, surveys show that ...

CLAIM 5: New growth strategy

HUGO BOSS presents plan to increase sales

HUGO BOSS has introduced its new 2025 growth strategy ‘CLAIM 5’ and provides its mid-term financial ambition. Over the next five years, the Company is fully committed to strongly accelerate top-line growth, claim its position in the ...

Cash use remains strong through the pandemic

Reasons, why retailers still need a cash strategy

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated “cashless society” efforts around the globe. Understandably, consumers grew concerned over the possibility of contracting the virus by handling cash. Meanwhile, retailers had to scramble to continue ...

Digitization of logistics – enabler of e-commerce

The many tasks in logistics and its role for retailing

Many companies are currently looking at the opportunities of e-commerce, as the brick-and-mortar retail is declining significantly. But successful e-commerce is not only based on an accessible, well-functioning, and attractive online shop, but above ...

Lovepop doubles down on omnichannel retail

New store signals growth for designer of 3D cards and gifts

Lovepop, designer of magical pop-up cards and gifts, announced the opening of a brand new store in Boston's Harvard Square, marking the fourth location in the company's hometown and the fifth new retail opening in the U.S. since the start of ...

How can automation bolster margins?

Counteracting growing margin pressures on retailers with technology

Competitive and price pressures are steadily increasing. Technologies that automate processes can help companies remain profitable. Here are a few examples.Retailers are facing unprecedented margin pressures in the current times. Increased raw ...

Brick and Click: Pre-pandemic levels amid healthy spending

E-commerce growth remains elevated, in-store shopping rebounds in a big way

U.S. discretionary spending on general merchandise continues to be healthier than expected. Dollar sales for the week ending June 12, 2021 rose 15% over the same period two years ago, continuing at a pace that exceeds the 9% growth over last year, ...

Foot traffic and behavioral analytics converge with digital signage

More customer loyalty based on invaluable information

Brick-and-mortar retailers have recently been facing the most dramatic and rapid changes. In order to survive and thrive, they now must adapt and have a definitive understanding of customer behavior. They need to know the number of shoppers, detect ...

Attracting passers-by, not influencers

How to attract customers with content marketing and digital signage at the point of sale

You think modern content marketing on digital screens at the point of sale (POS) is reserved for big brands and not for small retailers? Not at all, says Nils Drosin, Co-Founder and CEO of 4Dmagic. He is convinced that if retailers use their ...

Shopping for clothes with an avatar

H&M develops digital fitting room for a better shopping experience

Those who need new clothes at the moment will have a hard time trying them on in the store. This is because many stores have to remain closed due to the ongoing pandemic. To improve the shopping experience and to nevertheless offer the opportunity ...

In-store payment: Cooperation for the customer experience

Klarna and Verifone become partners and make in-store payments more flexible

Payment and shopping provider Klarna and Verifone, a provider of payment and commerce solutions, recently joined forces: customers have been able to use Klarna's flexible payment options at millions of Verifone terminals in Europe and the United ...

Livestream shopping: the sales channel of the future?

Interview with Alex von Harsdorf, Co-Founder and CEO of LIVEBUY

In Asia, and especially in China, livestream shopping has already been widespread for years. 10 percent of e-commerce sales are generated via livestream shopping, and experts predict that this share will rise to at least 25 percent in the near ...

You don’t need big tech investments, but creativity

How brick-and-mortar retail can profit during (or thanks to!) the lockdown

The Corona pandemic has led to an immediate dovetailing of brick-and-mortar and online retail. This development is overdue, says Gerold Wolfarth, Founder & CEO of bk Group. We don't need large tech investments, but creativity, he points ...

E-commerce advertising industry benchmarks for 2021

Sidecar report: Advertising benchmarks for Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon

The global pandemic led to sweeping improvements in return on ad spend and reductions in cost per acquisition across primary ad platforms in 2020. That’s according to Sidecar’s 2021 Benchmarks Report, the company’s new retail ...

No business intelligence, no future

Why retailers should bet on data intelligence

Online store operators can track their visitors "at every click".  Many brick-and-mortar retailers, on the other hand, don't know much about their (potential) customers. Yet all industry experts agree: data is worth its weight in ...

Meeting Retail Customers’ Safety Needs During Another Disruptive Year

Retailers have taken steps to meet the pandemic’s challenges

The year 2020 was certainly a year of disruption in the retail industry, with COVID-19 and political unrest upsetting old operational models like never before.After the initial wave of COVID-19, many stores radically changed store operations ...

Retail statistics, trends and forecasts for 2021

Outlook: omnichannel, mobile, and social commerce

Without a doubt, COVID-19 changed the way most people see the world, and retail was one of the hardest-hit sectors. In October 2020, in-store footfall in the US was a massive 34.5% lower than October 2019, and 60% of customers said that COVID-19 may ...

Sephora to expand brick & mortar footprint across the U.S.

Omni-channel in-store experience for shoppers

Sephora announced its largest store expansion in the retailer’s 21-year history in the U.S., including over 60 freestanding client-centric locations and 200 locations opening inside Kohl’s stores later this year.Following a year in which ...

Vending machines: Customers alone in the store

Combi City-Markt makes round-the-clock shopping possible – without staff

Shopping after closing time? That’s possible at the Combi City store Bünting in Oldenburg. At the 24/7 vending machine, late at night shoppers have the opportunity to stock up on everything they need from the supermarket's ...

How the industry thinks: The most important trends for 2021

What awaits retailers after the first Corona year?

2020 – most certainly not an easy year. But many agree: The only way forward is to look ahead. So we asked industry insiders – retailers, academics, manufacturers – what they expect for this year. How will changing customer ...

Guinea pig retail

RetailTech Lab in Denmark tests technologies for retailers

The brick-and-mortar retail did not have an easy time of it this year in large parts of Europe. It was high time to rethink it, try out innovations and further develop business models.This is exactly what has been happening in the RetailTech Lab in ...

Beauty shoppers won’t try new products when shopping online

‘Virtual’ try-on technology positively impacts 45% of beauty shoppers

While nearly half (44%) of beauty shoppers in a new survey agree that they have bought more beauty and skincare products online (rather than in store) over the last 6 months, the research reveals that 56% (rising to 62% among female shoppers) tend ...

Please give us shopping, events, and emotions!

What should cities do to attract more visitors?

Online retail, coronavirus pandemic, monotony – city centers are fighting many battles these days. But although times might be tough for brick-and-mortar businesses, all is not lost when it comes to pedestrian zones.However, retailers should ...

Come together: local retailers connect with local customers

The online platform Ladenfreun.de connects local retailers with potential customers. The common denominator: A product.

How can you bridge the gap and connect online retail to pedestrian zones? A Nuremberg startup wondered how this could be accomplished and came up with a solution: Ladenfreun.de. In this interview, founder Matthias Hueber talks about the idea behind ...

Knowledge is (retail) power

The Germany Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) wants to attain knowledge to assist the retail sector and creates digital twins of stores to make it a reality

Knowledge for all retailers - DFKI has launched the Knowledge4Retail (K4R) project series to achieve this goal. The driving force is an open-source platform for complex AI and robotics applications in retail.  The project relies on a digital ...

Getting a taste for grocery deliveries

What are the best online grocery delivery options?

Bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, pasta, butter ... Brick-and-mortar stores are no longer the only place where consumers turn to for their groceries. The COVID-19 crisis has spurred a boom in food delivery services. So how do groceries end up in your ...

AfterPay: Survey on the shopping behaviour of Germans

German consumers will make a larger share of their purchases online in July

AfterPay Insights’ end of June research – now covering more 7.400 interviews with German online shoppers – indicates that German consumers will reduce their overall purchases in July. But at the same time, German consumers say ...

A K11 Cinema under the wave of “Design + New Retail”

Hong Kong’s first brick-and-mortar MOOV pop-up store

"New retail" has been a hot term in recent years. It is a business concept and simultaneously, a new way of living. As the concept of "new retail" evolves, traditional recreational locations such as movie theaters are also ...

Supply chain: Know what’s on your retail shelves

What should bricks-and-mortar retailers pay attention to in their supply chain management?

The Cha-Ching sound of the cash register rings up sales – that’s music to a retailer’s ears. Satisfied customers and happy employees are the key to increasing sales. What role does effective supply chain management play in this ...

Virtual pop-up stores

Here today, change Up tomorrow

They spring up like mushrooms, only to vanish again shortly thereafter – pop-up stores are trendy and now they also increasingly “pop up” online. We spoke with Mohamed Haouache, CEO and Founder of Storefront, about the magical ...

Creative criminal meets intelligent security system

Interview with Ralph Siegfried, Business Development Manager at Axis Communications GmbH

Stores come in different sizes, have different settings and vary in product selection. That’s also why they need a customized loss prevention and security solution. What are some options for retailers and what key elements do they need to ...

Job maker 4.0: e-commerce

Retail training and continuing education programs are booming

Digitization in retail and e-commerce growth present fresh challenges for retail employees and the retail world. That’s why interest in the new "E-Commerce Merchant" dual vocational training course offered by Germany’s HDE ...

Behind the curtain: Inside Amazon

A Frankfurt startup helps sellers to improve their ranking on the platform

"I want to successfully promote and sell my products on Amazon" - that's the goal of many sellers. It comes as no surprise as the Seattle-based online store has evolved to become the largest e-commerce marketplace in Europe since its ...

A return to core competencies: visual merchandising and customer service

Showrooming with samples in brick-and-mortar retail

Brick-and-mortar stores are facing tremendous pressure: competition, pricing pressure, shifting consumer habits. Is setting up your own online store the answer? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. ...

Consumer product demand in wake of Covid-19 crisis

Newly launched IRI CPG demand index

IRI® released the IRI CPG Demand Index™, a proprietary metric measuring weekly changes in consumer purchases, by dollar sales, against the year-ago period across departments, categories and retail formats.“The COVID-19 pandemic has ...

Local, cross-channel, pared down – retail trends

Pointers from 3 EuroShop 2020 exhibitors

Current and future retail trends – what better place to look for them than EuroShop, the World’s No. 1 Retail Trade Fair.iXtenso was there and talked to several exhibitors about their visions and their contribution to the future of ...

Tired of paperwork? It’s time for AI!

Artificial intelligence helps small and medium-sized retailers to tackle accounting

Accounting - A term that is synonymous with stress for many businesses. The minds behind sevDesk felt the same way, which prompted them to develop accounting software that tackles the annoying paperwork. In this interview, CEO Fabian Silberer talks ...

Customer-centered, digital and adaptive

Bonprix’s Fashion Connect Store in Hamburg

In-store shopping via app – the fashion connect store in downtown Hamburg makes it happen. Daniel Füchtenschnieder, chief executive officer of Bonprix retail, is one of the creative minds behind the new retail concept. An interview about ...

Flooring for retail spaces: durable, sustainable and smart

Why design isn’t everything

The secret is out: The iXtenso editorial team loves flooring. After years of putting up with old carpet, our office hallway has now turned into a real eye-catcher.This made us wonder: Apart from a modern and customized design, what other ...

Password? No need!

Interview with Dr. Daniel Schellenberg, COO of IDEE GmbH

Do you have an existing user account? Did you forget your password? No doubt, those are some annoying questions when you shop online. The brains behind IDEE agree and leverage your "digital identity" to make surfing and online shopping ...

One-way street turns into central hub

Checkout area a game changer for retailers: payment goes “omnichannel“

Retail checkout counters have to rise to the challenge of ever-increasing customer needs and expectations: The checkout as a one-way street, where customers simply pay for their items and physically take them home, is no longer a viable business ...

Basics of how to merchandise your store

Retail Consultant Hans Günter Lemke reveals key elements of successful visual merchandising

Retailers face increasing pressure from online competitors. Although brick-and-mortar businesses take in the lion’s share of sales revenues, online shopping will play an increasingly important role in the future. That’s why it is ...

Leveraging your retail strengths with digitization and automation

Oliver Voßhenrich of POS Tuning talks about EuroShop 2020 and the promise of process optimization

Retailers have to make multiple decisions every day as it pertains to the point of sale (POS) according to the managing director of POS Tuning. He explains how digitization and automation help the industry to minimize manual processes and free up ...

Effective and Independent

Present and future of self-checkout

Better use of personnel, lowering overhead costs while still providing customers with a smooth and seamless shopping experience – that’s what every retailer strives to accomplish. For Thomas Dibbern, CEO of ALMEX GmbH, there is an ...

“AI starts with AI”

The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) supports the retail industry

When we shop, many of us are unaware that artificial intelligence helps retailers – in both online and offline settings – more often than we realize. One who is intimately involved in this process along with his Research Center is ...

Blind Date is so yesterday! Know your customers!

Customer loyalty: Personalizing your customer communications – across all channels

Is brand loyalty dead? These days, consumers no longer buy the same brand of goods for life. They want personalized offers for products that meet their specific needs. That’s why it is more important than ever for retailers to retain and ...

Product information makes a beeline for stores

Product data platform distributes information from manufacturers to retailers and on to customers

Online stores need great product descriptions and powerful product images to be successful. After all, this information must be able to substitute the first-hand experience online surfers would get if they visited a physical store. That’s why ...

Storefront technology turns spectators into paying customers

Fomo brings social proof to brick-and-mortar retail

Fomo announced the launch of their new product "Fomo Storefront", an interactive shopping experience that enables retail owners to leverage social proof in brick-and-mortar locations. Customer purchases, testimonials and buyer behaviors ...

Retail problems: We’ve got the premises but where are the customers?

The Trendforum Retail 2019 highlighted multi-use retail developments

At the Trendforum Retail on October 9 &10, 2019, in Schwalbach near Frankfurt am Main, speakers and visitors examined how brick and mortar retailers can attract, keep and excite customers.Interested event participants were given a tour by Marcus ...

Social networking for neighbors

Nebenan.de is a social media platform where both neighbors and local businesses can network

"Mrs. Müller, may I borrow some flour from you?" The online platform nebenan.de has accommodated requests like this one and others among neighbors for some time now. Neighbors can also post in the “for free” section or ...

A POS system unlike any other – thanks to light staging

"Personalization a mega trend in lighting systems“

Light does much more than simply illuminate a space. There is a near endless number of uses for lighting concepts, especially in brick-and-mortar retail. Boris Niessing, General Manager Marketing and Sales at ELEKTRA since September 2018 talks ...

Vast majority of consumers plan to return holiday gifts

“Retailers need to seize the moment."

During the upcoming holiday season 77 percent of consumers surveyed said they plan to return a portion of their gifts, with nearly 20 percent expecting to return more than half of their presents (sorry grandma!). This is both a blessing and a curse ...

Mobile shoe closet on the road

Luxury brand Tamara Mellon with first-ever traveling shoe store

Tamara Mellon, direct-to-consumer luxury brand, is taking their innovative retail concept on the road with the launch of the mobile TM Closet — the first-ever traveling shoe closet.Kicking off in Boston, the TM Closet will be located in ...

90+ year-old manufacturer redesigns its stores …

… making window and door shopping easier, more personalized and enjoyable

Each year we hear about the increase in online sales, and the talk of the demise of brick-and-mortar stores. But, brick-and-mortar stores aren’t going anywhere – if they adapt. And Pella Windows & Doors is adapting.Rather than ...

When the product becomes the POS

“Mobile-first” or the future of the Point of Sale

The classic Point of Sale means physical sales areas including a terminal, cash systems and queues. But this traditional image is changing. Nowadays many customers in brick-and-mortar retail outlets expect the same experience as online and require ...

Silver Surfers: Older adults ride the wave of mobile technology and shop online

The increasing importance of e-commerce for senior citizens

You are wrong if you think it’s mostly young people who spend time online. Older adults are also increasingly embracing online shopping with enthusiasm.In this interview, Spencer Hinzen, Director of Sales, Central Region, Ruckus Networks, ...

Of local heroes and global players

An overview of online marketplaces

Amazon and eBay – many retailers heavily rely on these top names. Yet there are other online marketplaces that could offer useful features. After all, the easy solution isn’t necessarily the perfect fit for ...

Retail spaces are so yesterday. Long live brand experiences!

How can brick-and-mortar stores stay competitive? With continuing retail reinvention!

Shopfitting – it’s no longer about shelves, sales counters and cash registers. Silvio Kirchmair, CEO of umdasch The Store Makers, considers it a stage where brick-and-mortar retailers can and should showcase themselves – especially ...

Changing markets: embracing disruption to harvest opportunity

Reporting from the first annual Retail & Brand Experience World Congress in Barcelona

More than 200 industry insiders highlighted the many challenges facing the retail sector today in interesting talks and lectures.Topics included the customer experience, the use of technologies, digital media, omnichannel strategies, personalization ...

GfK study: Brick-and-mortar retail in the EU

Highest 2019 growth in Romania and Lithuania

The majority of European consumers are currently subjected to opposing forces. On the one hand, this consists of uncertainty over Brexit, trade conflicts and weaker growth prospects in important export markets such as China. But on the other hand, ...

Internal communication via app at Modehaus Ramelow

Mobile chat works as a bulletin board

What's new at Modehaus Ramelow? The fashion retailer’s employees can check PIA - and share information to their heart’s content. PIA is an app for "private information exchange".More and more internal communication ...

Smile please! How to showcase products with amazing photos

Quick guide to product photography

There is one fundamental difference between online and brick-and-mortar stores: Customers cannot touch, smell or try out the products. Essentially, the eyes decide whether something is ordered or not.That’s why product images and descriptions ...

E-commerce: AI-powered translations revitalize business

Interview with Boris Zielonka, Director Marketing & Sales, Eurotext AG

Retailers who set up an online store can expand their business – especially if they create a multilingual content strategy.As a language and translation service, Eurotext AG supports retailers in this endeavor. From this conversation with ...

Implementing new ideas: Design thinking in the retail world

Focus on customer expectations

It may be uncomfortable at times – but a change in perspective can help businesses to implement new ideas and successfully complete ongoing processes. Design thinking is a customer-centric approach that can help in this endeavor.“What do ...

Self-service sells

Kiosks represent an important part of retail’s future

Self-service is growing exponentially in all areas of retail, hotels, restaurants, healthcare and banking environments. Customers increasingly expect self-service technology options and traditional brick-and-mortar stores are no exception. Retailers ...

IRI finds consumer confidence making big impact on e-commerce growth

64 percent of omnichannel growth due to e-commerce

While 2019 got off to a rocky start, with a partial government shutdown and trade challenges attributed to tariffs, consumers at the close of 2018 were buoyed by their strong household financial health and were spending accordingly. The latest IRI ...

Using digital data to drive brick-and-mortar retail success

Advanced Outlet Analytics

When it comes to using and analyzing relevant data, brick-and-mortar retail lags behind its online competition. While e-commerce retailers use detailed data from web analytics, CRM, and Google searches to analyze user behavior and generate ...

Retailer app identifies counterfeit products and strengthens customer relationships

Secure barcodes on paper labels offer retailers and customers many benefits

Counterfeit goods prompt harmful financial losses due to a loss of sales and profits, decreased tax revenues and by threatening jobs – and this doesn’t just impact retailers and manufacturers. According to EUIPO (The European Union ...

The new connection: Mobile payment via electronic shelf labels

Interview with Alexander Hahn from digital payment service provider Wirecard

It’s a customer’s dream: no more waiting in line at the checkout counter. At this point, consumers can already scan their purchases with their smartphones, pay and leave the store. Wirecard collaborates with SES-imagotag and makes this ...

Trend 2019: The digitization of the stationary retail trade

From retail to omnichannel business model

For stationary retailers, it is no longer enough to think individually about e-commerce or other digital strategies. Instead, the focus is on networking online, mobile and offline channels and implementing a multichannel strategy, the so-called ...

City management fights vacant storefronts and supports retailers

Insights from city manager Nicole Halves-Volmer from Delmenhorst

Modern city management always includes cooperation with the retailers of a city. The charismatic city manager Nicole Halves-Volmer works with passion for the city of Delmenhorst and talks in the interview about campaigns with and for retailers.For ...

Virtual commerce: shopping in a different reality

What we can expect from virtual reality in retail

Virtual fashion shows, mountaineering, and test drives: Virtual reality (VR) is creating a new paradigm for the customer experience – not only in brick-and-mortar stores but also in online shopping. "It's always remarkable and ...

Preventing food waste: It’s ecological, social and saves resources

SirPlus fights retail food waste

Measuring more than 530 square meters, SirPlus stores are a force to be reckoned with. At this point, the food saviors from Berlin have become widely known thanks to radio, television and their strong online presence of course. Their mission? ...

Digital sporting goods retailers: Decathlon and Intersport push ahead

Of virtual tents and 3D foot analysis

Customer loyalty and innovative store features are key factors in sports retail. Shopping becomes an experience, whether that’s thanks to an integration of online and offline activities or brand-new approaches and technologies. What can ...

Showroom-like stores could overthrow the basis for retail rents

Traffic and customer data could trump traditional measures

If present trends continue, retail rents might one day be based on traffic and customers rather than traditional metrics such as sales per square foot or percentage rent, observes Mike Harris, Managing Director of CREModels, in a new column for ...

Waiting in checkout lines

A turnoff to European shoppers

For many European shoppers, waiting at checkout lines any longer than five minutes is too long, according to retail study by Adyen. Shoppers are looking for an experience that satisfies three fundamental demands: convenience, context and ...

A powerful weapon in battle against industry disruption

Category management: Opportunities for retailers to thrive in the face of new competition

Rather than concede general merchandise sales to new and disruptive competition, brick-and-mortar retailers are seeking creative ways to maintain their share of this critical and high-margin category. This is one of the conclusions contained in ...

No-checkout store of the future: Successful retail projects

Fine-tuning of the major rollouts has also started in Germany

Robots as sales consultants, REWE’s self-checkout at the neighborhood store or digital price tags. Slowly but surely, customers get used to and increasingly accept these innovative supermarket concepts. But are customers ready to take the next ...

Globally connected coolers for valuable insights

Atos becomes official IoT partner for Coca-Cola HBC

Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announces a new multi-national contract with the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (Coca-Cola HBC), one of the world’s largest bottlers for The Coca-Cola Company with operations in 28 ...

Same-day delivery: Tips for small retail businesses

“The delivery time window option in the evening is a great hit": Interview with Arne Schulke, Professor for Management Control & Leadership

Few local retailers are brave enough to offer same-day delivery. They should use their "business savvy”, suggests logistics expert Arne Schulke of the iubh International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef. He offers practical tips, ...

Stationary retail grows by 2.1 percent in 2018

GfK study on European retail

GfK anticipates a 2018 nominal turnover growth of +2.1 percent for stationary retail in the 28 EU member states. But trends within the individual countries under review vary widely. While real-value growth is expected for countries such as ...

Beverage retail market: revolutionary route planning crowned by success

Flaschenpost – successful two-hour delivery service

The German online retail business Flaschenpost (a pun meaning “message in a bottle” or quite literally “bottle delivery” in English) successfully delivers beverages within two hours in Münster and Cologne, with more ...

Innovative technologies for fashion retail

Detego showcases in Future City Langenfeld

Detego, market leader in real-time business intelligence for the fashion retail industry, showcases its innovative retail products at Whitebox - a digital experience space for various innovative in-store applications - in Future City Langenfeld. ...

Innovation management: Don’t just collect data. Use it

Developing new services with BI analytics

It is widely known that the use of business intelligence (BI) supports process optimization and strategic decision-making. But BI can also be used to promote innovation processes. The pressure to innovate is intensifying, even in the retail ...

Business Intelligence: The single source of truth

How retailer use data analytics and BI to optimize the value chain

Hardly any business process is managed without the help of IT. That’s why the main task for retailers is not to gather data about business processes but to make the most of this data instead. Business Intelligence (BI) is the “secret ...

eobuwie.pl brings digital fluidity to physical retail

"Blending the convenience of online shopping with the fast fulfilment of brick-and-mortar retail"

eobuwie.pl is striding forward with its new, sector-defining store concept, designed by Dalziel & Pow, which positions the Polish brand as the ‘next big thing’ in footwear retail. The concept is a direct response to the changing ...

Bulletin to open flagship location in Union Square

The flagship will open in historic ladies' mile early June

The store, which is powered by Shopify, is its third in New York City and hosts product from more than 60 female-led brands. Across Bulletin's three stores and online platform, it now supports about 150 brands, most of which are small ...

Digital transformation: Tasks for the new German government

Smaller retailers ask for support to keep up with the competition

Digital technologies make it possible to increase operational efficiency and develop innovative options and concepts. Nevertheless, digital transformation makes many entrepreneurs feel uneasy. That was one of the results of a survey conducted by the ...

Only what the boss himself would wear makes it onto the clothes hanger

Visiting the Herrenbude in Köln-Ehrenfeld

Custom, authentic and exclusive – words that describe the product selection of the small fashion store called Herrenbude in Köln Ehrenfeld (a city district of the German City of Cologne). It’s a concept that is able to keep up with ...

Using chat to shop online

The integration of payment processes in messenger

A large portion of our days is spent on social networks, forums, blogs and messaging apps. There is still a lot of untapped potential for retailers who want to position themselves and their product choices in these settings. This applies especially ...

Artificial Intelligence: a real opportunity for brick-and-mortar retailers

Combining personalized service with AI to optimally reach the customer

Today’s retailers must come up with great ideas to keep up with their online competition. Artificial intelligence (AI) opens up brand-new opportunities in this area. Ralf Reich of Mindtree illustrates why AI is not just a great tool for ...

It’s all about the right fabrics: an industry sector is entering the digital age

”Research online, purchase offline has edged its way into the world of fabrics.“ Interview with Sven-Hendrik Timmermann from JAB ANSTOETZ Group

More than ever, today’s interior design industry has a tough time to attract customers to stores. In this interview, Sven-Hendrik Timmermann, Chief Digital Officer at JAB Josef Anstoetz KG, explains how the textile and fabric outfitter uses ...

Sunday shopping creates rift

Can Sunday shopping save brick-and-mortar retailers?

The ongoing debate over shopping hours on Sundays has heated up in recent months in Germany. Ver.di (the German trade union) successfully filed lawsuits against a number of Sunday shopping events nationwide. Communities and retail representatives ...

Explore DataVan’s latest revolutionary retail solutions at EuroCIS 2018

Self-checkout, universal tablet docking, and lightweight POS terminals

DataVan, one of the world’s leading retail and hospitality touch-point technology providers, is pleased to join EuroCIS 2018 in Düsseldorf to showcase its new range of self-service kiosk terminals, multi-purpose touchscreen terminals, and ...

The new multimedia shopping experience

Brick and mortar stores as showrooms for online retailers

Anyone who wants to survive as a brick-and-mortar dealer in the future must offer their customers a special shopping experience and a functioning online store. That’s a widely known fact. But the opposite is also true – and this is ...

Unrealized potential in online food retailing

Fresh delivery service coverage primarily in metropolitan areas

Prior to the launch of Amazon Fresh in Germany, many e-commerce observers expected brick-and-mortar grocery retailers to do everything in their power to fight back with their own offers and services. This prediction has not come true. Several of the ...

Amazon is not the cause but the symptom

"Retailers must finally take advantage of their opportunities and stop complaining"

Regardless of what you might think of Amazon, in 2017, the internet giant has pioneered more innovations than any other entity. Amazon Flex, Prime Now, and Amazon Fresh are just some of the projects the U.S. company created to explore new ways to ...

What shop design can look like: The unique store of Mußler Beauty by Notino

Online/offline symbiosis: Inspired by Arabian bazaars and current trends

Mattias Mußler hired Dittel Architekten to implement his new fragrance and beauty product store concept. At Stuttgart’s Gerber shopping mall, the team created an impressive design, which optimally complements the company’s ...

Click & Collect: More in-store sales thanks to store pickup

Opportunity and challenge for the retail sector: Retailers can really benefit from this service

Click and Collect, In-Store Pickup, Click & Go: there are many terms that describe the store pickup process of online orders. Retailers can really benefit from this service; provided that they are armed with a professionally developed concept of ...

Retailers focus on personalization

How retailers create a personalized shopping experience with the help of customer data

Personalization, also called customization is a trending topic in retail for the year 2018. Retailers increasingly put customer demands center stage since consumers have come to expect a customized shopping experience both online and offline. But ...

Live video shopping: in-store personal shopping assistance for online customers

Barbara Frères guides customers with video chat technology

The Barbara Frères Boutique in Düsseldorf specializes in designer children’s fashion. To position itself in the omnichannel world, the fashion boutique doesn’t just offer an online store, a chat function and curated outfit ...

Elo introduces the future of self-service with new Wallaby stands

New Wallaby stands deliver a streamlined self-service platform

Elo, global supplier of touchscreen solutions, introduced the new Wallaby self-service countertop and floor stands for an elegant and simple interactive touchscreen experience in high-traffic environments. The Wallaby self-service stands deliver an ...

How a sense of touch helped Eton shirts double expected sales

Eton equipped their brick-and-mortar stores with a range of touchscreen displays

The fashion retail space is evolving. The fact is, more and more consumers are tethered to devices, their faces glowing in a blue, e-commerce-hue of smart phones, tablets and laptops. That’s not to say the in-store fashion shopping experience ...

Increasing demand for convenience drives us shoppers online

61 percent felt it was easier to compare prices online as opposed to in the store

Convenience is the most important factor for US shoppers when choosing to buy online, reveals a study by Arvato, a global provider for full-service eCommerce and supply chain solutions. Original research of over 2,000 US shoppers found 58 ...

“Just walk out“: the invisible payment process

Pay automatically with zero-click payment and smart store technologies

Retailers are constantly looking for solutions that make payments easier and more automated. After all, an easy payment process also makes it easier to spend money, at least when it comes to small amounts and quantities. According to a study by ...

Holiday Shopping Season 2017: The early bird catches the worm

Online will be the growth driver

Procrastination dwindles as more shoppers plan to start Thanksgiving weekend with their holiday shopping. The Holiday 2017 shopping season will be the first when more U.S. consumers will start shopping in the middle of the season (Thanksgiving ...

Using lighting systems for indoor positioning

All about beacons and visual light communication

The smartphone has become the indispensable everyday companion of consumers. A fact that retailers currently still don’t take enough advantage of. Meanwhile, indoor positioning systems by way of smartphone are not only able to deliver valuable ...

Eddie Bauer Outdoor Outfitter: First Shop-in-Shop in Cologne’s Globetrotter Store

Interview with Bernd Niemeyer, Chief Marketing Officer for Eddie Bauer Germany

It is the first store of its kind in Germany: Eddie Bauer’s shop-in-shop just opened inside the Globetrotter Store in Cologne. It features 70 square meters of sales area on the first floor. In this interview, Bernd Niemeyer revealed the ...

“Omnichannel is not a retail invention but a response to customer needs“

Interview with Jens Thomas, Department Manager POS Design at Dänisches Bettenlager

Dänisches Bettenlager continues to expand its city store concept. The company is currently testing a high-tech store in Flensburg. In this conversation with iXtenso, Jens Thomas reveals how the firm offers its complete portfolio of products ...

Retail isn’t doomed, but a tectonic shift is under way

What’s causing this retail shift?

Online shopping has put tremendous pressure on brick-and-mortar retailers, causing large numbers of locations to go out of business. But lest anyone think retail is shrinking, the opposite is actually true. As of July 2017, retail sales were up ...

Online shoppers plan to spend more than in-store shoppers this holiday

The rivalry between online and traditional retail will heat up during the 2017 holiday season

On average, U.S. consumers anticipate doing nearly 40 percent of their 2017 holiday shopping online, up from one-third just two years ago. According to NPD’s 2017 Holiday Purchase Intentions Survey, consumers who will be holiday shopping ...

Checkout maze: When cashiers vanish behind the terminal

Creating a positive effect at the POS area with a clear design

These days, point-of-sale terminals have to fulfill more and more functions – especially in the food retail industry. Retailers can also connect various peripherals that assume additional tasks. Yet this multitude of functions also entails ...

Over half of online shoppers prefer shopping directly with brands over retailers

Brick-and-mortar retail continues to be an important component of the brand experience

New study explores consumer shopping preferences in today’s connected society and provides insight into how brands can best meet consumer needs. The retail industry is constantly undergoing change, altering the roles of retailers, brands ...

Smart retail through use of sensor technology

How brick-and-mortar retail can catch up to the informational edge of e-commerce

E-commerce has a clear advantage over brick-and-mortar retail when it comes to subjects like big data, personalization, and automation. Every time search and buying processes take place online, information about customers practically collects ...

Shopping with voice command

Voice commerce more than just another customer touchpoint for retailers

Their names are Cortana, Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa: the digital voice assistants of Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Amazon, respectively. They respond to your verbal commands or answer your questions. What’s more, you can also control ...

Online giant Alibaba seeks to boost brick-and-mortar retail in China

Integrated omnichannel model to deliver a seamless customer experience

Embrace the change – that is one maxim of internet giant Alibaba. Change also means adapting to the wants and needs of customers. In this interview, Karl Wehner, Managing Director at the Alibaba Group, explains why the company is going to ...

Douglas: A more personal sales approach with the new Beauty Card

“It’s crucial to understand our customers across all channels“ - Interview with Thomas Oberste-Schemmann, Douglas

The Douglas perfumery chain makes positive experiences with its new customer loyalty card. Thomas Oberste-Schemmann, Director of Global CRM Analytics, talks to us about the benefits for customers and the conclusions the company can draw from an ...

Digital signage in pharmacies: better consulting with new technologies

Pharmacies need a shopping experience too

Touchscreens, open display behind the counter and digital consultation counters: A look inside the Rathausapotheke (English: Rathaus Pharmacy) at the HUMA shopping center in St. Augustin raises the bar when it comes to digital signage. Its goal is ...

Unmanned stores: what local supply might look like in the future

Mom-and-pop stores turn into apps

Even though store hours have become more flexible these days, we probably all know the following scenario: every time we urgently need something – typically on weekends- supermarkets are already closed for the day. In the future, unmanned ...

More relevance for retail customers thanks to location-based marketing

Only those apps that offer personalized added benefits are the key to lasting success

Until recently the “mobile“ subject matter only had one specific focus, namely “apps”.  Having said that, the current Adobe Digital Insights Report shows that worldwide app usage remains stagnant. In the U.S., usage has ...

Robots and automated processes are the future of warehouse logistics

Staff shortages and the e-commerce boom call for all resources

When e-commerce retailers sell products every few seconds, it creates enormous challenges for their logistics processes. Sufficient qualified staff is currently not available to handle these tasks. This is why automated resources such as driverless ...

In-store tracking: customer buying behavior analysis ever more precise

… but keep it anonymous and compliant with data protection legislation

At what times do guests visit the store and how do they behave? And how does this impact sales? Retailers have to address these issues to optimize the brick-and-mortar shopping experience. To do this, retailers have access to a wide range of ...

Study: Pet product ecommerce trends

If the seeming omnipresence of ecommerce innovator Amazon is an indicator of anything, it's that the power and influence of online retailing is not to be underestimated.

If the seeming omnipresence of ecommerce innovator Amazon is an indicator of anything, it's that the power and influence of online retailing is not to be underestimated. The nigh limitless scope of products available online through Amazon ...

s.Oliver introduces digital signage store concept at the Ruhrpark Shopping Center in Bochum

Digital Retail – Motivating customers with relevant buying incentives and increasing retail store productivity

Since the end of April, the s.Oliver Group has applied a digital signage concept in its store at the Ruhrpark Shopping Center in Bochum (Bochumer Ruhrparkzentrum) that emphasizes an innovative sales approach to better understand and continuously ...

The right touch when it comes to price changes

Who is afraid of ESL?

There are many benefits of digital price tags for retailers, especially given the ever more sophisticated solutions. Yet consumer advocates are still skeptical – for fear of price fluctuations. But is this concern justified? Until two years ...

Strategy for the future: back to consulting

Curated Shopping promises an ideal shopping experience in online retail

Online shopping – a shopper’s paradise. It offers a huge selection, there is no commitment, you can do it without interruption and it’s fast. At least that’s the ideal concept. Reality often differs greatly. Finding the right ...

Cryptocurrency on the rise

Underdog Bitcoin evolves into retail sector’s payment solution

Digital money – also known as cryptocurrency – has finally made its way into the offline world. Since April, Japan officially recognizes online currencies as means of payment. Known as the “Bitcoin City”, the Dutch city of ...

Increase consumer loyalty through mobile self-scanning

Scansation helps retailers create personalized offers for anonymous consumers

Good chances for brick-and-mortar retailers to create personalized offers for their anonymous consumers. Since May 2017 a mobile self-scanning system named "Scansation" is available. Special highlight: retailers only need ...

Digital Signage at the POS: how virtual and real retail worlds merge

Digital signal systems are among the hotly debated topics in retail marketing.

They provide attractive new opportunities for interaction with customers but also imply a holistic marketing concept as well as an integration of distribution channels. They increasingly take the place of the familiar billboards at train ...

EuroShop interactive: Successful use of GPS and beacons

The retail industry is more mobile than ever before. That was also evident during this year’s EuroShop: 12,000 visitors took advantage of the current EuroShop app

It allowed them to use location-based services, which not only genuinely benefitted them but also the exhibitors. Together with the two companies bitplaces and Osram, Messe (Trade Fair) Düsseldorf provided a broad spectrum of information ...

CVS Pharmacy introduces new store design to enhance retail customer experience

Reimagined store design, new health services, an expanded offering of health and beauty products and “better-for-you” food options rolling out

CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health, unveiled a new store design to enhance the retail customer experience with a new assortment of healthier food, health-focused products and expanded beauty selections paired with informational signage ...

The smell of barbecue is in the air

Weber Original Stores provide all customers with a personalized grilling experience

EuroShop 2017 has shown: the retail sector has officially become unimaginable without emotionalization and storytelling. More than ever before, the customer journey is like an adventure that appeals to all the different senses. Philipp ...

Elke Moebius: "Digitization and emotionalization are the hottest trends"

Time to remember the past and celebrate the future!

A female powerhouse – with enough energy for ten people: that describes Elke Moebius, Director EuroShop and EuroCIS. After countless conversations and endless miles walking the halls of EuroShop, she has made many personal experiences, which ...

Boosting business by combining digital with humanity

Combining digital and human assistance is the key to increasing your revenue

Combining digital and human assistance is the key to increasing your revenue according to a new survey. Customers double the amount of time they spend in the store and spend twice as much money when they have been assisted by engaged staff. Those ...

A look ahead: Virtual Reality at EuroShop 2017

What’s the actual purpose of virtual retail applications?

Is it all about the fun factor or maybe more about the chance to obtain more comprehensive information? At any rate, the interactive character of these solutions provides many opportunities for the retail sector – both online and offline. ...

Update for retailers – The forums of EuroShop

Visitors of EuroShop 2017 can expect high levels of retail knowledge at the multi-faceted forums of the trade fair.

Experts, manufacturers and trade partners introduce innovations from the world of retail in compact lectures. The presentations will be translated simultaneously into German and English. ...

Osram shines a light on retail spaces and brings together customers and retailers for a new shopping experience

At this year’s EuroShop trade fair, Osram will be showcasing its most recent developments for product presentations in retail outlets

In brick-and-mortar stores, lighting is crucial for presenting products and is therefore a key factor in the customer’s overall shopping experience. However, in addition to its lighting prowess, Osram can also contribute digital expertise, ...

Pure-, cross-, multi- or omni-channel retailing …

Retailers tend to get lost in their own buzz-words and to lose sight of the most important aspect: What do customers actually want?

One of the special charms about the lagoon city of Venice is its many channels, or canals, both small and big. Innumerable bridges connect them to an open labyrinth of water, as well as traditional streets. With so many different shopping channels ...

The supply chain of the future: “Think globally, network regionally, act locally“

What effects does eCommerce have on the supply chains of brick-and-mortar stores? Professor Jörg Becker of ERCIS in Münster has an answer to this question

“Ebay marks the end of traditional retail“ – that was the title of a manager magazine cover in 2012. It is certainly true that the increasing digitization and technologization in all business practices and various areas also ...

Smart use of virtual shelves at the POS

Extending the retail sales floor and providing exceptional customer service

They fit onto the smallest sales floors and are still able to show the entire product portfolio: virtual shelves. That is also why they have become increasingly popular over the past three years. Retailers like EP: and Knauber also rely on this ...

Visual marketing: macro trends for 2017

Brick-and-mortar retailers have a powerful tool to battle today’s increasing competition: the sales floor.

It offers big opportunities to pique the curiosity of consumers and gets them excited right at the point of sale system and encourages them to buy. Having said that, the store needs to be designed in an emotional, attractive and - most of all- ...

Digital transformation strengthens brick-and-mortar retail

The development in the relationship between “brick-and-mortar and online” in retail is not a one-way street

Brick-and-mortar retail will continue to score with customers with digital services for consulting, purchase and delivery. With new and intelligent concepts, smaller stores also give large competitors ranging from Amazon to Zalando a run for their ...

Eight POS trends to watch

Trend toward mobility, cloud-based solutions and the emergence of Unified Commerce strategies

Each new year brings changes, reaffirmation of trends and patterns, and new developments. In the retail and hospitality space, expect to see in 2017 a continuation of the trend toward mobility, cloud-based solutions and the emergence of Unified ...

Lokaso Siegen effectively strengthens the regional retail sector

Stepping stone into e-commerce with measurable success

Local commerce approaches are a dime a dozen these days. Yet none of them are effective enough to where brick-and-mortar retailers actually benefit from them. Patrick Schulte of billiton is someone who has recognized this and created Lokaso, a new ...

Innovate or die! Retailing in the cross-channel age

Linking brick-and-mortar stores and online options with a focus on the customer

The online market volume still grows steadily in Germany and is likely to break the 50 billion Euro mark for the first time in 2016. According to the “IFH-Branchenreport Online-Handel 2016“ (IFH industry report for the online retail ...

How Digital Signage promotes visual marketing

Until recently, retailers addressed customers at the shop window or point of sale primarily with posters, displays or other eye-catchers

Yet media overload makes it increasingly difficult for these traditional, static advertising formats to assert themselves. New interesting presentation platforms that inform and entertain consumers increasingly prevail. They are summarized under ...

"Customer reviews are pure gold" – Manufacturers can support retailers with content

Interview with Dr. Thomas Salditt, Head of Digital Business Enabling at BSH

These days, customers want entirely different product information than they did in the past – especially when it comes to refrigerators, dishwashers and the like. Dr. Thomas Salditt from BSH Home Appliances Corporation talks about the contents ...

Equipmag’s Paris Retail Week focuses on retail innovation

Cash management and retail innovation were among the hot topics during the Paris Retail Week 2016

Cash management and retail innovation were among the hot topics during the Paris Retail Week 2016 show in mid-September. APG representatives attended the event, which drew more than 48,000 show-goers and about 1,000 companies. While at the ...

An overview of five German local commerce models

Do online marketplaces really strengthen local retail?

E-commerce makes things hard for brick-and-mortar retailers. To improve the customer churn rate, various local commerce approaches have been developed to connect brick-and-mortar businesses to the internet and vice versa. The concepts range from ...

Retail tech startup migo IQ accommodates early demand with satellite offices in Hong Kong

Office will streamline connections and simplify relationships in Asia

Increasing client demand and investor relationships have led retail tech start-up migo IQ to open two satellite offices in order to be more available to partners in North America and Asia. The new Hong Kong office is located in the heart of the ...

Identifying purchase intentions: market basket analysis for brick-and-mortar retailers

The right software to understand and use data to improve profitability

Neither magic nor a secret: sales receipt data can reveal information about consumer purchase behavior. Online retail already masters this type of analysis perfectly. In contrast, brick-and-mortar retail still needs technical support to understand ...

Digital processes reduce the cost of cash

Cash remains the favorite payment method of Germans for now, but it comes at a price

Cash, yes or no? Opinions differ on this. While some would like to replace it with alternative payment methods like credit cards or the smartphone right now, cash remains the preferred payment method for others. Even though paying without coins or ...

NearSt aims to add £4 Billion a year to UK High Street by 2020

NearSt is capitalising on growth in 'near me' searches by connecting products in local shops with smartphones

The platform allows people to order products for instant collection and 1-hour delivery, beating any existing offer from online platforms such as Amazon. NearSt, which is backed by TrueStart, Europe’s leading retail and consumer accelerator ...

Seeking the world’s best digital projects in retail for the Digital Retail Award 2016

Application deadline extended until 26 August

Digitalisation is shaking up brick-and-mortar retail worldwide. Online stores are ahead in some industries, but retailers are leveraging new shop concepts and digital POS technologies to deliver new services and experiences. According to a GfK ...

When your front door guards the beer crates

The beverage supplier “Trinkkiste“ delivers drinks with no deadline pressure

When beverage supplier “Trinkkiste“ from Berlin delivers its products, it is not bound to set times. A patented locking system that can chain the beverage crates to the door makes all of this possible. The online pure player also ...

National payment procedures put to the test

How we prefer to pay - and what changes are coming in the future

The politically driven revision of electronic payment transactions prompts action in the German payment market: national payment procedures increasingly compete against international payment services and new, contactless payment options. Having ...

China Daily Asia Pacific Retail Leadership Awards winners revealed

Retail gurus gather for “Defining Next Generation Retail in Asia” forum

Co-organized by the China Daily Asia Leadership Roundtable and the Omni-Channel Retailing Conference, the co-branded session, themed “Defining Next Generation Retail in Asia”, was held last week at the Hong Kong Convention and ...

Playfully increasing sales at the POS

Gamification in brick-and-mortar stores

What types of advertising still work at the POS system today? More than ever, retailers need to ask themselves this question. After all, even if customers can still be approached by using classic advertising techniques, it’s unclear which form ...

In-Store Digital Signage: How content fills the screens

Digital signage solutions are becoming increasingly popular in stores because their content informs and entertains customers and supports them in their purchase.

As an eye-catcher, digital signage offers endless possibilities – but only if the content is carefully selected. Retailers are still intimidated by this aspect – though there are various content management solutions that support them in ...

Gen Z and Millennials believe brick-and-mortar stores are highly important

Optimal in-store experience varies by generation: Secrets to mastering the experience

A new research study by iModerate, a progressive insights firm, reveals that most consumers consider it important for retailers to have a physical store, and the first in-store impression is a critical factor in building loyalty. It also uncovers the key factors that contribute to a stellar shopping experience for each generation.

”Many customers are willing to try online grocery shopping“

Interview with Marcel Fuhlmann, CEO of diva-e Digital Value Enterprise GmbH

Marcel Fuhlmann, CEO and Manager of the Business Unit Platform Online Food Retailing at diva-e Digital Value Enterprise GmbH, explains which criteria successful online grocery stores should meet.

"Retail shrinkage has slightly declined in Europe"

Interview with Hans-Jürgen Nausch, Global Account Manager at Checkpoint Systems

In 2014, retail shrinkage cost German retailers approximately 5 billion Euros. This is one conclusion made by the "Global Retail Theft Barometer 2014/2015", the world’s largest study on causes and costs of retail shrinkage in the retail industry.

Wi-Fi's role is expanding in the stores

Brick-and-Mortar retailers plan new loyalty services, in-store engagement and analytics via Wi-Fi

Euclid Analytics released a study revealing that Wi-Fi will play an increasingly strategic role across retailers. Over the next 12-24 months, retailers plan to leverage their existing Wi-Fi infrastructure to deliver personalized in-store customer experiences and deploy advanced analytics.

The digital renaissance of the fitting room

Customers want to feel that the shop moves with the times

Today's customer always has his smartphone in hand. Do not miss anything, always be up to date. In order to keep stationary fashion retail a "place-to-go", retailers should go into much detail and meet the wishes and habits of ...

Consistent data for customer touchpoints in all sales channels

Wincor Nixdorf presents new version of its modular software for retail

Consumers expect retailers to offer them a consistently good shopping experience, no matter the channel. Whether “offline” in the shop itself or online in the web store and on the road with a smartphone – the same data and information must be available anytime, anywhere.

Posiflex to demonstrate the next wave of mobile POS innovation at EuroCIS 2016

The Hybrid solution helps brick-and-mortar retailers provide a better shopper experience

Mobile POS will continue to gain traction in retail due to its dual usage in customer-facing and operational employee applications.

Addressing each customer individually

Benefits and risks of big data in retail

Customer loyalty programs, mobile apps, and online ordering data are just some of the data sources retailers can use today to gain new insights into nearly every aspect of their business. “Big data” is the big buzzword here.

Social Commerce – Online retail’s path (or death)?

Why e-commerce is important for social media

Right now, Facebook, together with the e-commerce platform Shopify, is testing a feature that allows people to buy products via its network and is thus one step closer to achieving its long-term goal – launching the Buy Button.

Effectively analyzing online consumer behavior

No timidness in e-commerce - 3 strategies for proactive customer service

Rows and rows of long white shelves. Small labels describe the advantages of the individual products. Red colors in between stand out and call attention to reductions. The customer is right in the middle of it all.

Study: Why daring to compare online prices pays off offline

The constant barrage of post-holiday sales touted by web-based retailers may make it seem like online shopping is killing real-world stores. But shoppers are actually engaging in "web-to-store" shopping - buying offline after comparing ...

Many customers want to buy more online

Majority of consumers is satisfied with online shopping

eCommerce is gaining more and more market shares. But what do customers think and how much potential for development still lies in the digital shopping experience? According to a recent survey on online shopping behavior for which 1,000 consumers ...

Elo enhances Point-of-Sale experience

New widescreen offering delivers scalable POS performance

Elo announced the expansion of its X-Series product line with the availability of a new 20-inch widescreen all-in-one touchscreen POS computer. Retailers and hospitality providers have come to rely on the Elo X-Series for its affordability and ...

Don’t underestimate their importance: Restrooms as a customer service

Pros, cons and alternatives to offering your own customer restrooms

Sooner or later, we all need to use it ... the restroom. And especially during a longer shopping trip in town. Yet many retailers don’t provide restrooms for their customers. Understandable but in the future a potential service shortfall that ...

Tyco mobilizes top retailers and industry experts to tackle organized retail crime

International ORC Summit examines proactive strategies and countermeasures

Over 20 leading retailers and industry experts from the U.S. and Japan convened at Tyco Retail Solutions’ Boca Raton, Florida campus on October 26 and 27 for an International Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Summit. Attendees toured Tyco’s ...

Dune to use in-store Wi-Fi analytics

Data on customer patterns will be used to provide extraordinary service

Dune, the fashion footwear retailer, and Walkbase, the provider of in-store analytics for retail, today announced they have entered into a contract by which the Walkbase retail analytics solution will be deployed to all of Dune’s stores. ...

Just try it: What brick-and-mortar stores do better than online retailers

Experiencing and testing with all senses

Over hill, over dale or off to bed ‒ getting to test products directly in the store is a real advantage brick-and-mortar businesses have over online retailers. All of our senses become a part of the purchase decision in this case. Creating an ...

Elo shares in-store customer engagement strategies

CEO Craig Witsoe will educate luxury retailers at Luxury Interactive Summit 2015

Elo, a global supplier of digital touchscreen solutions, today announced that Chief Executive Officer Craig Witsoe will deliver a keynote session at the Luxury Interactive Summit in London. Witsoe will share strategies for luxury ...

"The customer needs to receive consistent information and services at each contact point"

Interview with Mirko Hüllemann, CEO of Heidelpay

Invoice, PayPal, direct debit und instant transfer are the preferred methods of payment of German customers in eCommerce. Several studies over the past few years have also shown: offering convenient payment methods has become an especially important ...

Using Digital Hubs

Multichannel customer service is the order of the day

When consumers have issues with a product today, they want to contact customer service via a channel that is easiest for them to access in case they have a problem or question. What’s crucial for companies: the quality of service needs to be ...

"Today’s consumers primarily want a seamless customer journey"

Interview with Robert Wucher, Head of Technology and Digital Client Solutions, GfK

To understand what services customers expect today, retailers should know exactly what touchpoints their customers use to get in touch. Only then can they align their sales approach, advertising and services accordingly. Robert Wucher, Digital ...

"The future for fashion retail is increasingly digital"

The fashion retail landscape continues to evolve

The rise of technologies which marry the physical and digital retail spaces in order to create smarter stores shows no signs of slowing. We spoke to Niclas Qvist, Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing at EllaFashion, for more on these ...

Razorfish Global showcases personalized retail experience

At dmexco 16-17 September 2015, the digital marketing exposition and conference, via an industry-leading combination of technologies

During the event, which in Cologne, Germany, Razorfish Global, in collaboration with Adobe, will showcase Razorshop, a leading-edge physical storefront experience that seamlessly connects the customer journey across all touch points and ...

"Knowing when 'power hours' occur is crucial for personnel planning"

Interview with Bill McCarthy, ShopperTrak and James Cook, Thomas Sabo

Store employees play a big role in ensuring that customers receive a superior shopping experience. This is why retailers need reliable shopper data to understand key shopping timeframes, including busy periods, and to adjust their staffing needs ...

New ways to improve customer communication

Digital media at the POS are becoming increasingly popular

Customer communication is increasingly influenced by digital media at the store. Whether this happens via app on the customer’s smartphone, on a large flat screen, on a small display at the checkout or on an interactive kiosk – in-store ...

Poor customer service puts revenue at risk

Back-to-School fails to provide lift for brick-and-mortar sales

RetailNext has released its monthly Retail Performance Pulse for the U.S., showing a 7.3 percent year-over-year decrease in sales on a 9.9 percent decline in traffic at physical stores for the retail month of August.  As a season, ...

"Knowing when 'power hours' occur is crucial for personnel planning"

Interview with Bill McCarthy, ShopperTrak and James Cook, Thomas Sabo

Store employees play a big role in ensuring that customers receive a superior shopping experience. This is why retailers need reliable shopper data to understand key shopping timeframes, including busy periods, and to adjust their staffing needs ...

Report: Commerce anywhere the customer wants it

Purchases made via smartphones increase 335 percent; mostly on catalog, home furnishings, brick & mortar items

MarketLive announced the results of its Q2 2015 Performance Indexreport, measuring the real-world buying behavior of millions of consumers shopping online during the second quarter of 2015. This quarter's data show that small-screen ...

”Germany’s eCommerce industry is strongly influenced by the ecosystem“

Interview with Hagen Meischner, Country Manager Deutschland for PrestaShop

Starting an online shop today no longer needs to be expensive and complicated. Just like in other IT areas, free open source tools have long since been available. Yet do these savings not inevitably come at the expense of quality? Hagen Meischner, ...

Three of the UK's top five grocery chains are now using in-store analytics

Walkbase announces rapid growth including its first roll-out deal with a retail chain in over 100 stores

Walkbase announced the continuation of rapid growth in Q2, resulting in a record number of roll-outs of its solution in more than 200 retail stores during the first half of 2015. Walkbase is expecting to more than double its expansion during the ...

In-Store Digital Media you can hang your hat on

Reflect announced that Nebraska Furniture Mart has selected them as their exclusive digital solutions partner

The new Nebraska Furniture Mart store location in Texas, which opened in the spring of 2015, is on a site that covers 90 acres. The store has 560,000 square feet of retail showroom, and a 1.3 million square foot distribution center. It ...

Thin-bility creates service opportunities for POS VARs

Thin-bility benefits both shoppers and merchants

In the highly competitive retail space, businesses must do all they can to improve the shopping experience. Consumers have plenty of choices, and making a purchase can be as easy as a few taps on a smartphone or tablet screen.Shoppers have grown ...

RetailNext selected by BucketFeet as in-store retail analytics provider

RetailNext Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement to be the analytics solution provider for BucketFeet as the artist-designed shoe retailer further expands its footprint of physical stores. Available online and through select ...

Shopping center concepts in flux

Customers focus on individuality and quality of experience

The big success of eCommerce is not just a problem for small retailers in city centers – shopping mall operators also need to face competition by online retail and create new incentives for customers to continue frequenting their ...

Partnership to optimize retail staffing operations

ShopperTrak and Workplace allow retailers to effectively adjust staffing needs

ShopperTrak has announced a partnership with Workplace, the world's first provider of employee-centric labor forecasting and scheduling, optimized for employers of hourly-paid workers. Through the seamless integration of two market leaders, ...

M.Fredric transforms retail POS and inventory management

Accessing comprehensive real-time sales data anytime, anywhere

California-based clothing retailer M.Fredric is enhancing its retail point-of-sale (POS) and inventory management systems with NCR Counterpoint. The solution provides M.Fredric with a single retail management software platform to closely track ...

Mobile Payment slowly gains momentum

German consumers are also interested in mobile payments

It is a truism that continue to be confirmed in studies: German consumers love paying with cash. Based on recent assessments by the EHI Retail Institute, nearly 80 percent of transactions in German retail is still handled with cash. According to ...

85 percent of consumers prefer to shop at physical stores

Survey reveals that brick-and-mortar remain critical revenue driver for retailers

Despite the hype around e-commerce and online shopping, consumers still look to shop in the physical store. To help retailers better understand customer preferences, TimeTrade, the leading provider of online appointment scheduling, surveyed ...

Shopping experience with culinary treats

Gastronomy concepts for retail are becoming ever more popular

Eating out, especially during a shopping trip, is increasingly something customers like to do. Regardless of whether this is just snacks in between or replacing a main meal – this offers retailers who also rely on gastronomy concepts a big ...

MarketLive releases ML-API web service for online retailers

Opens MarketLive data to the rest of the commerce ecosystem

MarketLive, the leading e-commerce technology platform for fast-growing retailers, today announced the public release of ML API, a RESTful web service that allows real-time access into the MarketLive Engine and real-time data exchange between ...

“Many touchpoints increase customer loyalty“

Interview with Roland Fesenmayr, CEO of OXID eSales AG

In omnichannel commerce, retailers can reach their customers in many different situations. Nevertheless, brick-and-mortar retailing remains an important part of the customer journey. In this interview, Roland Fesenmayr, CEO of OXID eSales, explains ...

“Only a powerful network infrastructure makes omnichannel retailing possible“

Interview with Christian Schallenberg, CTO, Lancom Systems GmbH

To be successful in omnichannel commerce, a retailer, above all, needs a powerful IT infrastructure. Current solutions make it possible to load the different channels together. This also includes the highly integrated radio access point by LANCOM ...

20 percent of millenials do not like interacting with cashiers during checkout

Nearly half would like to see more self-service kiosks at every retail location

Retale, a location-based mobile platform connecting more than 3.5 million shoppers with their favorite major retailers locally, today announced the results of a new commissioned study examining consumer self-service checkout adoption among ...

"In-store terminals facilitate a virtual expansion of the sales floor"

Interview with Frieder Hansen, CEO of Pyramid Computer GmbH

The retail industry is currently affected by one question in particular. ”How do I connect my actual stores with my online store and hence create true multichannel services? “ One potential response to this question is digital in-store ...

“You should never collect data you would need to keep secret from the customer“

Interview with Axel Jahn, Managing Director of Netpioneer GmbH

The increasing digitalization in retail helps retailers get to know their customers better. After all, the modern shopper leaves his/her data at every touchpoint – whether that’s in the online store, during mobile shopping or directly at ...

“Data-driven companies are clearly more successful in eCommerce“

Interview with Alexander Reschke, CMO of Webdata Solutions

The eCommerce market is shaped in particular by its dynamics. Developments and trends move a lot faster than in pure brick-and-mortar retail and online retailers need to be able to respond quickly and remain flexible to changes in the market. In an ...

Using store windows effectively as customer magnets

Those, who know how to use the power of store windows, can change passers-by into paying customers with the right design

It has only been recently that retailers pay increased attention to their store windows. By now, they realize that they can use them specifically as a means of communication to attract customers. That’s why according to the EHI, ...

Moving Tactics South Africa launches retail analytics division

New division is focused on gathering data from retail environments

Moving Tactics, a leading South African digital signage solutions company, has recently launched Moving Tactics Retail Analytics, a division focused on the gathering of data from brick-and-mortar retail environments through the use of a variety of ...