In Depth
In Depth
E-commerce technology
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How AllSaints, L’Oreal and Deliveroo are using AI to improve CX
From fuelling chatbots and digital assistants, to helping with retail media targeting, retailers continue to announce ways artificial intelligence is helping them boost customer experiences online Continue Reading
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Crew Clothing head of IT: ‘The projects don’t stop’
Crew Clothing parted ways with its senior leadership team in 2023, but there is a clear roadmap in place for technology transformation – and it doesn’t involve an ERP system Continue Reading
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Retail’s Big Show: Reporting from the retail technology front line
What themes will we be seeing in the retail tech space over the next year according to the 2024 National Retail Federation’s Big Show? Continue Reading
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Currys data strategy takes major step forward with launch of Connected Media
Data is the foundation for the future success of the new Currys retail media platform, as the tech retailer’s CDO explains Continue Reading
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Where tech can smooth out the retail returns process
New tech from supply chain companies, M&A activity among logistics firms, and H&M’s new fees show product returns is the retail industry debate that keeps coming back Continue Reading
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Retailers and customers alike open to AI, but calls for caution
Retail-related studies into AI’s influence suggest its capabilities are welcome by the sector and shoppers alike – but tech leaders advise treading cautiously Continue Reading
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Retail tech transformation: Winning boardroom hearts and minds
Retail tech leaders from Sweaty Betty and Selfridges discuss levers to pull and tactics to adopt when influencing the boardroom on transformation projects Continue Reading
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The role of AI as an everyday life assistant
We speak to the co-author of a book that explores the idea of artificial intelligence-powered automation that enables machines to become customers Continue Reading
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The CIO challenges brought by e-commerce in Kuwait
E-commerce is growing fast in Kuwait, resulting in new challenges for CIOs in the retail sector Continue Reading
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Face tech – recognising the retail opportunity
From age verification to catching criminals, how are retailers using facial recognition technology to push forward their businesses? Continue Reading
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Augmented reality in retail: The second coming
H&M, Avon, Very and others’ usage of augmented reality in retail could mean we’re reaching tipping point for the technology in 2023 Continue Reading
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Top trends in tech, and retail’s early adopters
Computer Weekly identifies the retail industry’s early adopters of what McKinsey & Co deems the top tech trends Continue Reading
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Developed for Big Science in Europe, highly accurate time protocols ensure fair trading in finance
Protocols developed for use at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research are now being used for many other applications, including financial services Continue Reading
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A retail tech tour of the Battersea Power Station development
We check out the customer-facing digital features on display in the UK’s newest shopping site at Battersea Power Station Continue Reading
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XR and the real world: Feedback loops and spillovers
As the metaverse develops, the realism of advanced extended reality applications could allow users to take experiences, interests and strategies with them into the real world – creating spillovers from virtual to real worlds Continue Reading
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Retail’s robotics reboot
Walmart and Amazon are among the retailers acquiring warehouse robotics firms, during a period of significant innovation in this space Continue Reading
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Putting metaverse concerns into perspective
All breakthroughs in technology have come with downsides, so what risks and concerns are there with the advent of the metaverse? Continue Reading
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Online marketplace momentum ushers in new era for retailers
Superdrug is the latest in a growing list of retailers to launch its own online marketplace, joining B&Q, Boots and others in driving a new era for UK retail Continue Reading
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Morrisons joins the fast-growing retail media movement
More retailers are becoming publishers as they realise the potential of their online assets, helping to fuel a new fast-growth segment of digital marketing – and Morrisons is no exception Continue Reading
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How the pandemic accelerated tech adoption in hospitality
The pandemic led to technology adoption across several sectors, with hospitality being no exception Continue Reading
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Mapping out the rise in checkout-free shopping
There has been a boom in the number of checkout-free stores globally, but will that growth continue and which retailers are interested? Continue Reading
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Retailers choose from menu of mobile apps to help reduce food waste
Supermarkets, convenience stores and coffee shops are among the retailers connecting with mobile apps and tech firms to drive down the wastage of food Continue Reading
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Pandemic turns e-commerce doubters into believers
Notable UK retail e-commerce avoiders Primark, B&M and Poundland are now online players. But what are their respective digital approaches? Continue Reading
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Retail’s IT talent search intensifies
Retailers from different sectors are on the hunt to fill similar IT job roles, but are all finding different ways to source the sought-after talent Continue Reading
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Using technology to reinvent stores
Technology is becoming an important part of the shopping experience at home, in stores and in-between, so how are retailers using technology to advance the store experience? Continue Reading
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Boots accelerates its digital accessibility journey
Boots is working with website accessibility software provider Recite Me to make its website more user-friendly and improve the customer experience Continue Reading
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Ship from store: A pandemic retail trend that’s here to stay?
Shipping online orders from bricks and mortar stores looks set to be a pandemic trend that will stick around to form part of retail’s new normal Continue Reading
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Retailers get business-critical IT and data management in order
Decathlon and Toolstation are among the retailers investing in new technology to support business-critical applications and better data management Continue Reading
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Retail’s staff engagement and happiness problem – can tech help?
Keeping staff engaged, motivated, connected and content is no easy task for retailers, but the industry is exploring new tools and techniques to improve the workplace Continue Reading
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NRF review: What’s in store for retail tech in 2022?
What themes will we be seeing in the retail tech space over the next year according to the 2022 National Retail Federation’s Big Show? Continue Reading
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Accessible retail: Personalising the UX for disabled consumers
An online marketplace built with an ‘accessibility-first’ mantra is set to go live in spring 2022 – and it comes amid several new inclusive retailing moves Continue Reading
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Retailers as tech firms: Next, The Very Group and others see power in the platform
Gap and Reiss are set to utilise Next’s end-to-end e-commerce service, Total Platform, in 2022, as more retailers carve out a future as part tech company Continue Reading
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Arkwright’s till, Tesco GetGo and retail tech’s non-linear innovation journey
The checkout-free Tesco GetGo store shows that retail technology has come a long way since the faulty till draws in Open All Hours, but some of today’s innovation goes back to the future Continue Reading
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How in-store technology is supporting retail’s sustainability agenda
Boots, Costa Coffee and the major grocers’ in-store technology focus is switching towards systems supporting sustainability goals Continue Reading
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Retail tech community reacts to BNPL regulatory proposals
Regulation is coming to the buy now, pay later market, but what does it mean for a retail tech community increasingly embracing these solutions? Continue Reading
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How Estonia’s country-as-a-service scheme has attracted tens of thousands of foreign entrepreneurs
Estonia has created a country-as-a-service offering which is attracting entrepreneurs and businesses from across the world Continue Reading
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Boots leading drive for ‘professionalisation of IT’ in retail
Boots becomes member of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, as CIO Rich Corbridge accelerates drive for the ‘professionalisation of IT’ Continue Reading
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New thinking and systems required to tackle online fraud in retail
Online fraud is a growing problem for retail, but are merchants doing enough to update systems and how should they change their actions to address it? Continue Reading
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Tech and new experiences tackling trouble at t’mall
UK shopping centres are under pressure, but new concepts, tech-infused spaces, and fresh approaches to consumer engagement are revitalising the sector Continue Reading
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Video commerce and livestreaming make waves in retail
The growth in e-commerce during the pandemic is well documented, but the fragmented retail environment has also helped video commerce and livestreaming rise to prominence Continue Reading
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How AI and automation drive better customer service
Forrester analysts explore the benefits of combining artificial intelligence with automation Continue Reading
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Amazon Go – is now the right time?
In the beginning of 2021, Amazon launched a physical store in London, but is it the right time to be investing in offline? Continue Reading
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Innovation at the shelf edge
It’s been a challenging year for stores due to Covid-19, but some retailers have found time to innovate at the shelf edge with noteworthy technology deployments Continue Reading
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‘Salad as a service’: retailers’ interest in vertical farming grows
Retailers are waking up to the potential of vertical farming, with technology-enabled agriculture a core part of supply chain bosses’ and food buyers’ plans Continue Reading
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Digital donations: retailers using technology to offer something back
Some charities require corporate support like never before, and retailers are finding new ways to use technology to facilitate donations Continue Reading
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How retailers are using tech to cope with changing footfall
Customer behaviour was shifting long before the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the online shopping boom, so what technology are retailers using to keep stores relevant? Continue Reading
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This Christmas, Covid-19 heightens retail security risks for everyone
Do you think it’s only retailers and consumers who need to consider cyber security when shopping online during the holidays? You’re dead wrong. This year, the Covid-19 pandemic and the shift to remote working has thrown a spanner in the works Continue Reading
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How retailers are using digital to engage with Covid Christmas shoppers
Christmas is likely to be different this year because of the pandemic, and there is likely to be an altered shopping experience. So how are retailers using digital to cope with this shift in festive shopping? Continue Reading
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Lush’s 25-year journey to digital excellence
Retailers are increasingly focused on using technology to better serve customers, but for high street cosmetic brand Lush, tech has always been part of the picture Continue Reading
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Covid-19: How retailers are using technology to respond to changing shopping habits
As the coronavirus outbreak accelerates the shift in consumer behaviour, how are retailers using technology to keep customers engaged? Continue Reading
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Robots delivering the goods for retailers
Amazon is investing in autonomous robot delivery in the UK, adding to pioneering work undertaken by Co-op and Starship Technologies Continue Reading
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Morrisons and Pret join UK retail’s growing subscription economy
Morrisons and Pret A Manger join growing UK retail movement towards subscription models – a space frequented by technology-led players such as Gousto Continue Reading
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How can CIOs prepare for 12 months of uncertainty ahead?
Just 12 months ago, nobody could have predicted where we are now. So how can CIOs prepare for the future amid such uncertainty? We asked five IT leaders for their expert advice Continue Reading
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Hangar 51 supports startups taking off in travel tech
International Airlines Group’s accelerator programme aims to give travel technology companies a flying start in the sector Continue Reading
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Digital experience management – web content management for the omnichannel age?
Digital experience management represents an evolution of web content management for a more omnichannel commercial world. We explore its definition and applicability Continue Reading
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Surveillance capitalism in the age of Covid-19
Could the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic further consolidate surveillance capitalist practices and enterprises? Author Shoshana Zuboff warns Computer Weekly it is possible Continue Reading
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The People vs Amazon: ‘They will have to answer to all of us’, says fired employee Christian Smalls
Former Amazon employee Christian Smalls speaks to Computer Weekly about his termination and how the company is trying to silence dissent as it reports massive sales Continue Reading
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Coronavirus: Contactless limit rises as retailers make point-of-sale changes
The spending limit for contactless card payments is increasing to £45 today (1 April), which is just one of several ways that retail point-of-sale is evolving in response to the coronavirus Continue Reading
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Coronavirus: Grocers scrambling to update online and delivery propositions
The supermarkets have effectively become the fourth emergency service as the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis takes hold, aided by significant online and delivery changes Continue Reading
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Shirts and suits retailers using tech to stay smart
Enhanced personalisation, increased visualisation and much more customisation with a digital twist comprise the to-do lists of several UK formalwear retailers Continue Reading
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The big retail tech themes from Retail’s Big Show
The National Retail Federation’s Big Show signals the kick-off of the retail events calendar. We look over the themes promised for retail tech over the next year Continue Reading
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How Halfords is using tech to rev up its customer service
Live chat, virtual contact centres and a new unifying web platform are set to enhance Halfords’ customer service proposition in the year ahead Continue Reading
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Future fashion: does that dress come in digital?
A visit to a technology-fuelled fashion pop-up paints a picture of a world where retailers and brands sell virtual clothes for usage solely in consumers’ digital lives Continue Reading
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What’s new in UK retail’s online-to-offline movement?
US menswear retailer Untuckit used to be an online pureplay, but by the end of 2019 it will have 80-plus stores, including its two new UK shops, as the online-to-offline trend continues Continue Reading
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How retailers are using social to reach Gen Z and beyond
The younger generation of shoppers are all using social media, so how are retailers using influencers to reach these potential customers and their spending power? Continue Reading
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Disabled consumers left logged out of retail’s digital revolution
Retailers are being urged to make their digital assets more accessible to disabled consumers, not just for moral and social reasons, but because of the commercial opportunity Continue Reading
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The emergence of the shopping centre-as-a-service model
Shopping centres have been morphing into wider entertainment, leisure and hospitality venues for some time, but their role is set to evolve yet further Continue Reading
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Samsung KX gives consumers and retailers a glimpse of the future
Samsung puts its Galaxy range, the internet of things and community events at the heart of its new central London consumer space – but don’t call it a store... Continue Reading
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From cleaners to architects – lessons learnt by a serial entrepreneur
After the emotional sale of her first company, Alex Depledge, co-founder of and CEO of Resi, explains the lessons she has learnt and what she will and will not do again Continue Reading
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The next stage in football’s digital revolution is ready for the new season
Technology is playing an increasing role in football, as the Premier League adopts video assistant referees for the first time and clubs turn to data to capture more of their fans’ attention Continue Reading
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Retailers engineer new ways to recruit and retain IT talent
Senior leaders at Holland & Barrett, Feelunique and BrandAlley offer tips on finding and keeping sought-after engineering and developer talent Continue Reading
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Rise of the machines: How AI is changing unified communications
Artificial intelligence is now moving into live UC environments at scale. We look at the impact it will have and what lies ahead Continue Reading
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How privacy could breathe new life into personalisation
As much of the advertising technology used by marketers to deliver personalised content online is deemed unlawful, there are signs regulation could actually be a win-win for both consumers and business – as long as the industry embraces change Continue Reading
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Convenience, digitisation and the impact on the physical store
Digital technologies and the need for convenience have changed the way consumers shop, but what will this mean for the purpose and size of physical stores? Continue Reading
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How retail store technology is filling the ‘imagination gap’
Retailers are using in-store technology to reduce the time between shoppers’ consideration phase and purchase, but how is it engaging them and triggering conversions? Continue Reading
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Futuristic logistics: retailers focused on rapid delivery
From Asos Instant to Ocado Zoom, and a host of new services in between, rapid delivery is gaining traction in UK retail in an attempt to meet customer demand Continue Reading
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Interview: Andy Berks, digital product director, Asos
Asos’s digital product director Andy Berks talks about how the online retailer has used AI and machine learning technologies – and why the needs of the customer have to come first Continue Reading
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Ready, headset, go: Retailers racing ahead with VR for staff training
Has virtual reality found its prime retail user case as a staff training tool? Recent moves from Costa Coffee and Walmart suggest it has Continue Reading
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Fashion retail’s sustainability challenge and how technology can help
UK fashion retailers were grilled in Parliament last month on sustainability, so how might technology like blockchain or online recommendation tools help as they look to improve their green credentials? Continue Reading
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Nike and Zara drive fashion retail’s self-service future
New store openings from Nike and Zara show it is not just in grocery stores where self-service technology is impacting retail. Continue Reading
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Manchester’s evolution from rag trade to e-commerce riches
As Amazon and Moonpig plan to open Manchester hubs, the focus once again turns to the city’s in-demand digital and e-commerce scene Continue Reading
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CIO interview: Tamara Lohan, founder and CTO of Mr & Mrs Smith
Head of technology and co-founder of luxury travel firm Mr & Mrs Smith explains how the firm is revamping its technology to provide customers with a seamless experience Continue Reading
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Why are so few electric vehicles used for online shopping deliveries?
UK retailers appear to be in the electric vehicle slow lane when it comes to online shopping deliveries, but changes are imminent Continue Reading
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Mobile-first strategy rings true for jeweller
Mobile has played a key role in how London jeweller Taylor & Hart has changed the rules for buying a ring Continue Reading
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Doorstep challenge: How retailers are innovating on delivery and fulfilment
Every retailer selling online in 2018 needs great shipping options for customers who have got used to an expanding list of choices. How are some retailers developing the proposition, and where does technology fit into the equation? Continue Reading
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How is Google taking on Microsoft Office in retail?
Carrefour represents a big-name contract win for Google’s G Suite, but will Microsoft Office still be dominant across retail? Continue Reading
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The use cases, challenges and benefits behind retail AI
Retailers have been collecting customer data for years, and with AI technology now available to help them use it effectively, they’re jumping at the chance – but what challenges lie ahead? Continue Reading
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Amazon, Toys R Us and a tale of two technology approaches
Many factors contributed to the collapse of Toys R Us, but did a partnership with Amazon at the turn of the millennium play a part in its eventual demise? Continue Reading
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Should retail try to save the high street's declining footfall?
Footfall in the high street is declining, but should retailers be trying to claw back visits to stores or is it time for a new digital focus? Continue Reading
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Retail legacy systems: how can we overcome them?
With technology adoption changing the retail landscape, many retailers are left with legacy systems. We look at how they are dealing with them in today’s digitally led environment Continue Reading
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What are the retail jobs that don’t exist yet?
As in many industries, technology and new consumer behaviour is changing the shape of retail. But what yet-to-be-created jobs are on the horizon for the sector? Continue Reading
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How retailers are using technology to remain relevant
From the constant innovation at Asos, Amazon and Missguided to the new supply chain prowess flaunted by Diesel and Gap, fashion retailers are investing in tech to stay relevant to their customers Continue Reading
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Cryptocurrencies: a niche pursuit?
Cryptocurrencies are on the rise, but why have digital currencies yet to reach the mainstream market? Continue Reading
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CW@50: From bricks to clicks – how technology has changed the shopping experience
As Computer Weekly prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, we look back at how retail has evolved from the small corner store of the 1960s to the omni-channel world of today Continue Reading
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Inside Taiwan: The engine room of the internet of things
Computer Weekly travelled to Taiwan to meet some of the tech companies that are quietly laying the foundations for the internet of things Continue Reading
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Why Pegasystems' CEO, Alan Trefler, has learned to think smaller
Pegasystems has made its name supplying CRM, analytics and case management software to the world's largest companies. Now CEO Alan Trefler plans to use cloud computing to broaden Pega's appeal Continue Reading
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Using data analytics to deliver more personalised customer service
Personalisation has been the goal for many retailers, but can the emergence of big data analytics be the solution they are looking for? Continue Reading
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In-store retail experience evolves with the demands of tech-savvy shoppers
The increasing demands of today's "always-connected" shoppers are redefining the in-store buying experience Continue Reading
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How the development of standards will affect the internet of things
As the internet of things (IoT) grows, so will the number of applications developed to control internet-connected devices and objects Continue Reading
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How the BBC became digital in three-and-a-half years
The BBC has undergone a digital transformation that started 18 months prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games Continue Reading