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The Eye on Retail Information Systems
May 24, 2013
Volume 23 Issue 35


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Theres a well known proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. A small village in Honduras serves as an amazing example of just that.



While the use of mobile tablets (such as the iPad) as POS devices is growing rapidly, with shipments increasing at a rate of 38% in 2013, many retailers are still slow to adopt them, according to a new study from research firm IHL Group here.



Almost three in 10 (28%) of North American retailers plan to adopt mobile POS technology by the end of the year, according to a new study from IHL Group.



Use of tablets and iPods as point-of-sale devices is growing rapidly, but its not going to knock cashwraps out of most stores anytime soon, according to an IHL Group report released Tuesday (May 21). More than 85 percent of big retailers say that for the next three years, mobile POS devices will be add-ons tonot replacements fortraditional fixed checkouts.



Even though a full 33% of all retailers have no plans to adopt mobile POS, the technology is still having a significant impact on the point-of-sale market. According to the new IHL Group study, Mobile POS: Hype to Reality, mobile POS will cannibalize 12.4% of traditional POS shipments in North America by 2016. The highest replacement rates will be seen in department stores and specialty soft goods retailers.



As Walmart was reporting its first same-store sales drop in seven quarters along with a barely increasing profit on Thursday (May 16), it also detailed its impressive IT and e-commerce growth. Quarterly online sales soared more than 30 percent as the chain kept boosting its number of self-checkout POS units (a 38 percent boost in that quarter alone).



The grocer is implementing the EmpowerWFM suite from Orlando, Fla.-based Empower Software Solutions across all Roche Bros. and Sudbury Farms locations.



Retailers across verticals are restructuring marketing, inventory and other key processes to help keep pace with consumers demanding, multichannel shopping behaviors.



Heinen's Fine Foods here has deployed new supply chain systems aimed at lowering inventory, improving warehouse turns, eliminating holiday over-stocks and reducing labor costs.



Williams-Sonoma has selected NetSuite SuiteCommerce as the multi-channel retail and business management platform for its global expansion into Australia. The retailer went live on SuiteCommerce on May 2, 2013 to power four newly-launched and individually-branded e-commerce storefronts in Australia, combined with NetSuite Retail Anywhere POS as the point-of-sale solution for four new retail stores in the Bondi Junction suburb of Sydney, Australia.



Phillips 66 is ramping up its technology use with the addition of two unique platforms designed to improve customer service -- OpenStore by GasBuddy and KnowledgeForce from Market Force Information.



Takeout pizza and a DVD are a natural fit for many. So Domino's Pizza in Brazil decided to combine the two in a campaign via Artplan Sao Paolo.



Ocado Group Plc rose as much as 47 percent to a record after unveiling a partnership with William Morrison Supermarkets Plc (MRW) that will boost the online grocers coffers by 170 million pounds ($259 million).



Super Pantry, operated by Tri Star Marketing Inc., launched a new branded website and free mobile application (app) powered by OpenStore by GasBuddy. The app features updated gas prices, store locations, in-store promotions and more, and allows customers to send feedback from their mobile devices, view store information and receive time-sensitive electronic mobile coupons.



During the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference Columbia Sportswear and GT Nexus will share insights and best practices for deploying cloud technology in a multi-enterprise environment to accelerate financial supply chain performance.



MyWebGrocer, a provider of digital solutions to the grocery and CPG industry, has offered general availability of the Shop2Gro, Plan2Gro and Order Ready platforms to its large-scale enterprise customers.



Family Express teamed up with PriceAdvantage SMART Fuel Pricing to automate the process of implementing fuel price changes across its chain of convenience stores and gas stations.



Lil' Drug Store Products Inc. launched a new identity for its signature category management program for convenience store retailers. Now dubbed snap! Category Management Solutions, the program provides results-oriented product category and data analysis for unbiased marketing intelligence to maximize retailer profits, according to the supplier.



After a cook in one of its in-store restaurants was discovered to have typhoid fever, Nordstrom is trying to directly contact customers who might have been exposed to the disease. The retailer is sifting through point-of-sale transactions from the Nordstrom Cafe in the store at San Franciscos Stonestown Galleria mall in an attempt to identify specific customers who could have been exposed, but thats proving more challenging than expected, a spokesperson for the chain said on Monday (May 6).



Kimberly-Clark completes the migration of its North American Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) program to the Datalliance VMI platform. Kimberly-Clark is now using Datalliance VMI to manage its consumer brands for 15 retail partners.



L'Oreal USA and IBM sign a three-year agreement with for expert procurement services using an advanced cloud analytics solution that will transform the way LOr￩al USA buys from its network of North American suppliers. The new services will enable the company to bring beauty products to consumers more quickly and efficiently.



Fleet drivers can now use their Voyager network fuel cards at Meijer gas stations in the Midwest, thanks to an agreement between Voyager network owner U.S. Bank and the Michigan-based retailer.



Vocollect, a business unit of Intermec, Inc. and provider of voice-enabled solutions for mobile workers, has unveiled its new Talkman A700 solution that introduces an integrated voice and scanner in one wearable solution  developed to improve user productivity while reducing the need, cost and management of multiple peripherals.



Cumberland Farms determined its SmartPay Check-Link payment system has saved customers $1 million on gas thus far -- a major milestone just four months after the program launch.



The Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) here, a cooperative of independent food wholesalers, announced it is adopting track-and-trace technology from ReposiTrak, owned jointly by international food safety consultant Leavitt Partners and retail technology provider Park City Group, Salt Lake City.



Wakefern Food Corp. has developed a successful approach to technology deployment in its warehouse and member-owned ShopRite stores (and corporate stores) based on gaining feedback from its members. The result is a technology infrastructure used uniformly throughout the company



US-based BJ's Wholesale Club has selected FoodLink - a fresh food commerce and traceability platform, to assist in the sourcing and purchasing of fresh produce across BJs 15-state chain.



BJ's Wholesale expands a pilot test of loss-prevention software from Micros-Retail into a chain-wide deployment based on the solution's ability to improve case identification and achieve ROI.



PivotLink today announced that hockey equipment retailer Total Hockey has selected PivotLink Customer PerformanceMETRIX (CPM) to complement its successful implementation of PivotLink RetailMETRIXTM. PivotLinks solutions help Total Hockey drive its customer-centric strategy and optimize its marketing spend.



LogFire announce they have commenced on the implementation and rollout of the LogFire extended warehouse management solution for American Sportswear, the exclusive wholesaler for the Tommy Hilfiger brand of sportswear for all countries in South America, Central America and the Caribbean.



Some Marks & Spencer customers have reported that the U.K. chains contactless payment terminals have taken money from contactless cards even when those cards were still in purses or wallets a foot or more awayand in at least one case, the grabby POS behavior was repeatable.



Many traditional retailers are still grappling with ways to appeal to omnichannel shoppers who are researching and buying from their tablets and smartphones. To become more connected with these consumers, a number of retailers are forming innovation labs to develop technology that optimizes the shopping experience regardless of how or where customers interact with the brand.



In a webinar aired live today, executives from Microsoft Dynamics and Junction Solutions shared the latest trends and strategies for retailers looking to profit from social media involvement. The webinar, titled: Social Media For Retail: Translating Posts Into Profits, is the second session in the nine-part Connected Consumer Webinar Series hosted by Retail TouchPoints this week.



More than one billion smartphones are in use worldwide, according to a recent mobile trends study conducted by Forrester Research. Mobile is driving a second Internet revolution thats even more profound than the first one, wrote Thomas Husson and Julie Ask, authors of the study. Mobile creates new value for consumers and businesses, alters cost structures, and disrupts ecosystems. Thats why marketers must move away from tactical mobile efforts to more transformative mobile marketing strategies in 2013.



Safeway here said last week it has no immediate plans to expand its initial test of a new payment program that avoids bank fees, though it has reportedly received inquiries from other companies interested in offering similar programs.



Publix Super Markets has introduced a digital tool that matches store sales with manufacturer coupons.



Department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue is luring consumers into its stores through a banner advertisement on the Weather Channels mobile application.



Tabbedout and Google have teamed up to offer Google Wallet as a payment source in the Tabbedout app for Android. Now, at thousands of Tabbedout locations, consumers will have the opportunity to pay from their phone using their Google account.



NCR Corporation today announced that it is working with Jamba Juice, in collaboration with PayPal, on a series of customized mobile solutions, including a Jamba Juice branded iOS and Android mobile ordering and payment solution.



Worthware Systems International (CellSell Systems International) the developer of CellSellﾮ (http://www.cellsell.com) the leading Retail ERP platform for the North American Wireless Industry announces that it has integrated with the Genius Customer Engagement Platform from Merchant Warehouse and has become a certified Genius partner and will be demonstrating how this breakthrough integrated technology has the power to do what no other integrated Retail ERP, POS payment solution in use today by retailers of cellular phones can do, in the CellSellﾮ booth #1922 at CTIA Wireless 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 21-23.



QSR Automations is implementing the ConnectSmart Kitchen (CSK) kitchen display and ConnectSmart TeamAssist recipe viewer graphical software solutions along with its reliable restaurant hardware to help Veggie Grill serve their guests faster and with greater accuracy. The CSK ensures Veggie Grill can achieve and track its goal of completing orders within five minutes, while TeamAssist puts accurate preparation instructions at the cooks' fingertips.



The Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) has deployed track and trace technology to enhance the safety of food and drugs throughout the supply chains of its 14 member wholesalers. The group is using the Document Management and Track & Trace components of the ReposiTrak System from ReposiTrack, a solution provider backed by international food safety consultants Leavitt Partners and retail technology experts Park City Group.



Manthan Systems today announced that The Entertainer has selected Manthan's industry-leading ARC platform for enterprise-wide reporting and analytics. Currently operating around 80 retail stores nationwide, The Entertainer has become synonymous with toys for every price range, age and gender in the UK.



Hundreds of restaurants nationwide will start using a new touch-screen payment system called RAIL over the next few months. They system is designed to encrypt customers' payment information and frustrate data thieves while allowing customers to calculate tips, split bills, answer survey questions, e-mail receipts and use PayPal or another digital payment service to pay for their meals.



The Home Depots stores in Mexico represent a small but growing footprint on an ever-expanding global map. As new locations open there at a rate of seven to 10 stores a year, demand for more efficient operations  as well as the stakes  increases.



HighJump Software announced today that Florida based corporation Bealls Inc. has selected HighJump Softwares cloud-based warehouse management solution



NCR Corporation announced that Shake Shack has implemented the NCR Pulse Real-Time smartphone application, joining the 5,500 others already using the app.



(C) 2009 IHL Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.