| Generative AI continues to catch our attention in the headlines, and sentiment from tech journalist Kara Swisher especially resonated with us — Generative AI is “as big as the internet,” poised to join other key moments in technology that have changed life in radical ways. Ignoring it now would be like ignoring websites in the 1990s or the introduction of the iPhone. And many are heeding this call, paying attention and using the technology for restocking, proper size ordering, and even menu development. Which generative AI activities are you trying? Let us know over on LinkedIn.
As the calendar turns to August, every mall and retailer knows it’s never too early to begin thinking and planning for the holidays and Amazon Prime Week might provide some insights. This week we also caught up on changes to the retail landscape as a result of suburban sprawl, why a mall property owner is turning to eco-friendly practices to save costs, and some new trends in the restaurant space. |
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| How Unilever Is Transforming Ice Cream With AI [Consumer Goods Technology] Unilever has incorporated image capture and artificial intelligence technology within 50,000 of their freezers, helping them manage stock levels, submit orders seamlessly, and alert stores when it’s time to restock.
‘I saw we were buying incorrectly’: How ModCloth is using AI to inform product decisions [ModernRetail] When Anh Vu-Lieberman, the interim CEO of the apparel marketplace ModCloth, took over the reins in January, she used machine learning to conduct a “deep dive” of the business’s buying decisions. Through artificial intelligence, she found that ModCloth was not purchasing the correct amount of clothes in certain sizes. |
| Generative AI begs for creativity, curiosity, caution [National Retail Federation] Kara Swisher, in signature no-holds-barred style, opened NRF Nexus 2023 in a conversation that was equal parts comedy and cutting commentary. Her message, however, was clear: Generative AI is “as big as the internet,” poised to join other key moments in technology that have changed life in radical ways. Ignoring it now would be like ignoring websites in the 1990s or the introduction of the iPhone.
Whole Foods to deploy Amazon One chainwide [GroceryDive] The chain plans to offer the palm recognition and payment system at all of its more than 500 stores by the end of 2023, Amazon announced in a blog post on Thursday. |
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| Micro & Last Mile Fulfillment |
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| Walgreens closing e-commerce distribution center in Illinois [Supply Chain Dive] Walgreens Boots Alliance will close an e-commerce distribution center in Edwardsville, Illinois, and lay off 393 employees. Walgreens said in the letter it wants to align its operations to best serve its customers and patients, including how the company uses its store network to ship orders to their homes. |
| Supply chain leaders should invest in automation, labor retention, report finds [GroceryDive] Supply chain leaders need to make investments in automation and labor retention programs to secure business continuity, maintain service levels and reduce cost variations, according to a new report from the FMI – The Food Industry Association and Boston Consulting Group. |
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| Lowe’s partnership with OneRail expands same-day delivery nationwide [FreightWaves] Home improvement retail giant Lowe’s said Wednesday that it has expanded its same-day delivery service nationwide for online orders in partnership with OneRail, an omnichannel fulfillment company. |
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| Restaurants & Ghost Kitchens |
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| How restaurants are using AI, from menu development to marketing [SmartBrief] Restaurants are turning to AI to streamline tasks and generate everything from menu ideas to marketing copy as they look for ways to innovate and ease employees’ workload. |
| Why some restaurant companies are starting to act more like marketing companies [Nation’s Restaurant News] In the creator economy, younger consumers want, and expect, more collaborative opportunities with brands, and more are starting to answer the call. |
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| Ghost Kitchen Customers Have a Need for Speed [PYMNTS] For PYMNTS’ new exclusive study, “Connected Dining: The Robot Will Take Your Order Now,” we surveyed a census-balanced survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. consumers last month to gauge their opinions about different restaurant technologies and to understand the factors driving these sentiments. |
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| What Amazon Prime Day Data Could Tell Retailers About 2023 Holiday Shopping [Forbes] Amazon does not typically provide sales data from Prime Day. However, in this case it did say that July 11 was the biggest sales day in the company’s history. It also said July 11 was its independent retailers’ biggest Prime Day on record. In this post, I’ll look at some of the early figures and trends from this week’s Prime Day, retailers’ (and bargain hunters’) response to the massive e-commerce event and what it all could mean for this year’s holiday retail sales.
Fashion Show Las Vegas looks to eco-friendly energy use [8NewsNow] Promoting responsible consumption cuts down on high costs. That’s why Rhianne Menzies, the sustainability director for Brookfield Properties — owner of Fashion Show Las Vegas — is now leading environmental, social and governance strategies to reduce waste. |
| Vuori continues its massive retail expansion as it targets around 25 new stores a year [ModernRetail] Athleisure retailer Vuori says it’s aiming for a “sweet spot” of 20 to 25 new stores a year as it continues its massive brick-and-mortar expansion. The company currently operates 35 stores in major markets such as Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco and Boston. Vuori has opened 10 stores since January.
Urban Retail Availability Increases as Suburbs Flourish [GlobeSt.] With workers only venturing into the office a few days a week, it’s no surprise that spending is being re-directed to retail districts closer to where people live, according to a new report from CBRE. This has resulted in an uptick in CBD retail availability in US central business districts, which now exceeds that of suburban space for the first time since 2006. |
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