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UK-based online retailer AO is tapping Ocula Technologies’ Ocula Boost solution.

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The project includes a Philips L-Line 7000 Series dvLED wall, along with a 55-inch 4K Ultra HD Philips Q-Line digital signage display designed to highlight sustainability content. The choice of the L-Line 7000 partly involved that series' engineering to reduce energy use for sustainability and lower operating cost. Both PPDS displays were integrated into the store's content system, which includes touch screens.

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Party City has teamed up with DoorDash to offer on-demand delivery of party supplies from the retailer’s 700+ stores. Products including costumes, balloons and special occasion décor are now available on the DoorDash marketplace and app, and delivery from all participating Party City stores will be available on the DashPass membership program.

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H World Group, announced that it upgraded its H Rewards program to extend its successful direct marketing membership business model in China to its overseas hotel operations. This will further enhance the Group's operational efficiency and add new momentum to its global strategy.

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One of the biggest challenges confronting retailers today is ensuring convergence between customers’ traditional in-store shopping experience and their digital journey, thereby delivering a seamless customer experience (CX).

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Retailers across the board are deploying and implementing innovative technology in a quest to both attack and engage customers as well as increase loyalty within its consumer base. The Home Depot is one of the home improvement retailers doing just that.

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CommerceHub today announced a new marketplace integration partnership with Michaels, the largest specialty arts and crafts retailer in North America. The partnership supports the launch of the new Michaels.com online marketplace, providing millions of consumers access to an even more expansive, curated assortment of products and an exceptional customer experience, powered by CommerceHub and ChannelAdvisor, a CommerceHub company.

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Smoky Mountain Resorts is dedicated to delivering a high level of excellence even amid labor challenges and rising costs. With fewer hands on deck and a need for greater accountability among all staff members, management sought potential technology partners capable of offering greater control and oversight over daily operations.

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The nation’s largest beauty retailer is transforming its digital retail operation with Google Cloud technology and services.

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Curator Hotel & Resort Collection has named Assa Abloy Global Solutions as a preferred provider to supply its member hotels with RFID door locks and access solutions. This new alliance will provide security solutions at favorable industry pricing to member hotels.

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This extended edition of the Cloud Wars Minute features highlights from an interview with Bill Quinn, senior vice president of marketing and digital for the shoe and apparel retailer Hibbett, who met with Tom Smith to discuss Hibbett’s e-commerce strategy, the company’s customer focus, its use of artificial intelligence (AI), work with Salesforce, and the current situation with inventory.

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When seeking out a comprehensive workforce management platform, Schnuck Markets, Inc. knew it needed to keep flexibility and adaptability at the heart of its search. Complicating matters, Schnucks also operates across four mid-western states where labor laws are not consistent (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin). Therefore, the supermarket needed a workforce management system that could map out schedules adhering not only to differing state laws but also differing union rules.

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Nestlé is taking the next step in a pilot exploring alternative packaging through refillable cereal vending machines Located in Indonesia, this pilot is an extension of one in 2021, in which consumers could purchase cereal products from tricycle carts with refillable dispensing systems.

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The first convenience style store on a college campus, powered by Amazon's Just Walk Out technology, is open on the Marymount University campus.

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Last year was a busy one for Walmart's ever-expanding delivery operation. In an infographic emailed to Chain Store Age,Walmart highlighted a number of metrics from its delivery activities in fiscal year 2023 (ended Jan. 31, 2023).

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Rite Aid has partnered with Amazon to offer Amazon’s Prime members two-hour delivery windows in select zip codes in Newark, N.J. and Burbank, Calif., the e-commerce giant confirmed.

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The company has tapped an on-demand box machine built exclusively for Walmart and powered by Packsize’s X5 technology to reduce packaging waste caused by oversized boxes, emit fewer shipping emissions by removing unnecessary fillers, and improve the end-consumer experience.

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Yesway is activating customer loyalty data in real time. The fast-growing convenience store chain is deploying the Stuzo wallet steering solution to support its Yesway and Allsup’s Rewards customer loyalty program. Initially launched in 2017, the program lets members swipe their card or mobile app at checkout to earn points that can be redeemed for merchandise, gas savings and exclusive deals.

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The leading luxury hotel group has been using Shiji products such as Shiji Distribution Solutions and Shiji ReviewPro for many years. With the expansion of the service agreement, the group is adding Shiji’s Infrasys Cloud POS to their hotel technology portfolio.

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Womenswear brand, Ulla Johnson, has partnered with Archive to launch Ulla Johnson PreLoved.

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The discount giant is partnering with Innovid, an independent advertising platform for the delivery, personalization and measurement of CTV ads. Innovid will also offer ad delivery services to help ensure the highest-quality video experience for ads run via the Walmart DSP

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The Giant Eagle-owned GetGo Café + Market convenience store chain has formed a partnership with Lux Vending LLC, dba Bitcoin Depot, an Atlanta-based Bitcoin ATM operator and fintech company, to install Bitcoin ATMs (BTMs) at 125 GetGo stores in various Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic metropolitan areas.

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For example, the Italian fashion luxury menswear brand Zegna deployed Oracle Retail Merchandise Financial Planning to accelerate planning cycles and optimize the merchandising, purchasing, and planning functions with a single integrated model.

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United Natural Foods, Inc., is taking further actions to significantly improve its supply chain capabilities and overall customer experience as part of its four-part transformation agenda to provide increasing value to its customers and suppliers, effectiveness and efficiency in its operations, and enhanced value for its shareholders.

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Get ready because the empty truck cabs in motion are coming. Gatik, which is involved in autonomous middle-mile logistics, has announced a multi-year commercial collaboration to transport customer orders within Kroger’s Dallas distribution network. The operations will launch in a few weeks.

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Nestlé continues on its track to create value through consumer analytics, leveraging data-driven transformation capabilities it invested in several years ago within its e-commerce efforts and now seeing substantial progress.

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What is the metaverse? There’s no hard and fast rule as it is a technology and concept that is largely still in development, particularly within the retail industry, but RIS is committed to nailing down and outlining a metaverse-focused strategy. Most sources say it’s simply a virtual reality space where participants can interact with a computer-generated environment (and other users).

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In a turbulent retail landscape where trends can (literally) change overnight, merchants have to make fast, informed decisions about which inventory to order, when to order it and what quantities to choose.

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Bakkt Holdings, Inc. (“Bakkt”), a technology platform that enables partners to unlock crypto and drive loyalty, announced a deal with Caesars Entertainment (“Caesars”), the largest casino-entertainment company in the U.S.

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Panera Bread is piloting Amazon’s palm-scanning technology in St. Louis to offer customers a faster way to connect to their loyalty program and pay. The bakery-cafe chain, which has long been considered a leader in restaurant technology, is the latest restaurant to use what the tech giant has dubbed Amazon One.

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Denny’s is upgrading its store environment, physically and virtually. The casual dining chain is investing more than $25 million to upgrade and improve its kitchen equipment as part of an omnichannel brand refresh called "It's Diner Time." The effort is designed to drive the development of new and improved food offerings, while increasing efficiency and reducing food waste.

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Online music instrument and equipment retailer Sweetwater increases email open rates and online sales thanks to AI-generated email recommendations.

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Rutter's is heeding the call for online ordering, rolling out the service to Rutter's VIP Rewards members.

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As grocers look to mitigate inflation-related margin decreases, Sam’s Club is improving its ad offerings. The Walmart-owned membership warehouse club chain announced that it has made it possible for advertisers to attribute in-store sales to their advertising — search ads and sponsored listings — on the retailer’s digital platforms. This capability enables more effective measuring of campaign effectiveness.

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Faced with a possible ban in the U.S., TikTok is reportedly taking a new look at creating a separate U.S. operation that would include Walmart and Oracle.

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Kaitlin Gottlieb, UNTUCKit’s senior director of omnichannel, outlines how the retailer’s partnership with NewStore has allowed the company to empower retail associates, streamline back-end processes, and gain greater visibility into order and inventory management.

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Schnuck Markets, Inc. is giving its customers a “smart salad bar” experience thanks to a partnership with Picadeli. The food technology company’s modular in-store salad bar concept is available at 22 Schnucks locations throughout Missouri and Illinois, and also in its Eatwell Market banner stores.

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Paymob and Ikea Egypt have announced a partnership to offer the latter’s customers a wider range of payment options.

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Mattress company Serta Simmons is implementing a new suite of SaaS solutions aimed at optimizing manufacturing efficiency and supporting the company through their next stage of growth. SSB – which includes the Serta, Beautyrest, Simmons, and Tuft & Needle brands in its portfolio – has partnered with Blue Yonder to help execute the project, and will add integrated demand and supply planning solutions to its existing advanced planning systems.

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Sweetgreen is partnering with autonomous delivery platform Zipline to enhance its deliveries and reduce its carbon footprint, the companies announced this week.

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