E-commerce technology

Alexa makes children rude

Smart speaker devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are making children ask for things without say "please", research from Childwise has found Continue Reading

Facebook reports $15.9bn profit after ‘hard’ year

Facebook has reported a strong fourth quarter and a strong year with quarterly profit up 20% and annual profit up 56%, but chief Mark Zuckerberg admits it has been a challenging 12 months Continue Reading

Most online retail sites put customers at risk of phishing

Most top online retail sites fail to protect consumers from phishing attacks, a study has revealed Continue Reading

Bitcoin is a bubble, but manias can have economic benefits

The UK's railway mania, the tulip bubble, the dot com boom and other collective economic madness – such as bitcoin – might lose people a lot of money, but they often lay down important foundations Continue Reading

Online retail grew less than expected in 2017

IMRG and Capgemini found retail sales grew by 12.1% in 2017, but growth was lower than in the previous year Continue Reading

CIO interview: Vlassios Rizopoulos, CTO, Pricesearcher.com

CTO of independent online search engine Pricesearcher.com explains how it uses big data and high-performance computing to cater to customers who use price as the deciding factor for their purchase Continue Reading

Mastercard sets biometric ID deadline for banks

Mastercard has committed to guaranteeing that every one of its customers will have access to biometric authentication services by April 2019 Continue Reading

NRF 2018: Cryptocurrencies “won’t take off”, says Visa executive

Visa’s CEO, Alfred Kelly, told retailers at the 2018 NRF Big Show that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies should be low on their list of priorities Continue Reading

IT of world’s banks is moving on from crippling regulation

Banks need to invest more in fintech and IT skills as they emerge from years of stagnation Continue Reading

NRF 2018: Rent the Runway – focus on data proves use case for clothing rental

Clothing retailers are not traditionally known to rent products to anyone other than celebrities, but retail service Rent the Runway is using data to prove customer demand Continue Reading

NRF 2018: Companies should take “lab approach” to innovation, says former GE exec

Organisations should use a lab-type approach to test ideas and drive innovation, according to the former vice-chair of GE, Beth Comstock, speaking at At NRF 2018 Continue Reading

Business needs to reduce cyber threat to payment card data

Cardholder data is a prime target for cyber criminals, and that is only likely to increase in the coming year, according to a cloud-based secure payments firm Continue Reading

Abu Dhabi continues fintech agenda in 2018

Abu Dhabi is open to developing its fintech ecosystem, with the next 12 months expected to see more focus on the sector Continue Reading

CW Middle East: Technology transforms healthcare delivery in Gulf region

The Gulf’s healthcare sector has witnessed exponential growth in the past two decades, driven by a rapidly growing population and a rise in lifestyle-related diseases. Read how technology is helping the region’s healthcare sector cope with demand. Also in this issue, find out how an initiative at Avaya hopes to use blockchain networks to help make the citizens of Dubai happy, and how the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s smart transformation is progressing. Continue Reading

Marks and Spencer eyes £30m annual cost savings from digital-first retail push

High-street retailer has fleshed out plans to put digital at the heart of its business to boost operational efficiency in response to changing consumer demands Continue Reading

Dutch bank tests wearable technology payments

ABN Amro is testing out wearable payment devices with 500 customers as part of a four-month pilot Continue Reading

Google puts its payment services under one roof

Internet giant is bringing all its payment services under the Google Pay brand, making them “simpler, safer and more consistent” Continue Reading

Nordic banks face digitisation decisions over PSD2

With the latest version of the EU payment services directive coming into force, traditional Nordic banks can’t afford to slow their digital transformations Continue Reading

Air New Zealand to trial digital translation technology

Airline becomes one of the first companies to try out a business case for Google's real-time translation technology Continue Reading

Yoox Net-A-Porter Group appoints first chief data and analytics officer

Online fashion retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter Group has confirmed the appointment of its chief data and analytics officer, a new role for the firm Continue Reading

Bumps in the road ahead for Nordic cashless societies

Sweden and Norway are global leaders when it comes to reducing the use of cash in the economy – but what about the Nordic region as a whole? Continue Reading

Santander UK recruits digital banking expert from Barclays

Santander UK has poached Michael Harte from Barclays to drive digital transformation Continue Reading

Image recognition system clears cheques in one day

All cheques paid in the UK will be cleared on the next working day once an image-based clearing system is fully rolled out Continue Reading

Almost 70% of customers willing to use fingerprint biometrics to shop

Consumers are becoming more comfortable using biometrics to pay when shopping, with fingerprint payments proving the most popular biometric identification method Continue Reading

How technology is transforming healthcare delivery in Gulf region

IT will transform the healthcare sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries over the coming years Continue Reading

Tech entrepreneur aims to take digital skills to refugees

Tech entrepreneur Emma Sinclair hopes to raise £150,000 to run an education programme for displaced young people in a Unicef programme that aims to develop skills that might otherwise be lost Continue Reading

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

Banks across Europe cut thousands of staff and branches as IT replaces them

Banks across Europe cut jobs and close thousands of branches as IT shakes the industry Continue Reading

Government wants to remain in EU cyber security club after Brexit

The UK government wants to maintain deep links with the European Union’s cyber security working groups following Britain’s exit from the bloc in 2019 Continue Reading

Millions of customer records compromised in Equifax breach

Major security breach unfolded over a two-month period, and is thought to have affected 143 million customers in the US, as well as an undisclosed number of Britons and Canadians Continue Reading

Content delivery innovation improves user experience for e-tailer

WorldStores Group, the owner of a number of online home and lifestyle retail brands, has transformed its customer experience with enhanced content delivery capabilities from Instart Logic Continue Reading

App-based challenger bank Starling enters next stage of its journey

Thousands of people are downloading Starling’s app every week as the bank builds its customer base Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Banks and startups increase collaboration

First they were deemed a threat, now they are potential partners. According to a new report by Nordic accelerator Fintech Mundi, banks are increasingly turning to financial technology (fintech) startups in their hunt for new ideas and market opportunities. Also in this issue, read now Baker Brun, a bakery company in Norway, is modernising its business processes through the latest technologies, and hear how Stockholm’s CIO is relishing the challenge of trying to make the Swedish capital the smartest city in the world. Continue Reading

How banking technology has changed since the crash

In this week’s Computer Weekly, 10 years after the financial crash, we examine how banking technology has changed as a result of the economic crisis. We look at how GDPR, the EU’s new data protection laws, will affect your data storage strategies. And we ask if the cryptocurrency boom will remain a niche pursuit or whether the underlying technologies can bring benefits for enterprise IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Most consumers think they are more digitally savvy than some retailers

Consumers are becoming increasingly digital in the way they shop, and a survey shows nearly 60% think they are more digitally innovative than some retailers Continue Reading

CIO interview: Daniel Gebler, chief technology officer, Picnic

The Netherlands has the highest supermarket density in the world, yet a technology company has been able to gain market share from the established order Continue Reading

Nordic countries top digital nations ranking, but risk stalling

Nordic countries are leaders when it comes to digitisation – but they must continue to innovate to retain their position Continue Reading

The fields of Athenry – how Apple’s datacentre plans are causing turmoil in a small Irish town

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look into Apple’s controversial plans to build a huge datacentre in a small town in the west of Ireland, and hear the local arguments it has caused. We find out how the Met Office is managing the vast quantities of data it uses for weather forecasting. And we examine Google plans to bring artificial intelligence tools to the job recruitment market. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

North Korean web users enjoy Amazon, Facebook and YouTube, report claims

Threat intelligence specialist Recorded Future claims that the North Korean elite are as plugged in to the worldwide web as any western citizen Continue Reading

Mastercard outlines future digital payment platforms after improvements to Qkr

Mastercard has developed its mobile app, Qkr, for spectators at The Open Championship. The improvements further demonstrate new digital payment platforms offered by the company Continue Reading

Tesco expands reach for same-day grocery delivery

Supermarket retailer Tesco announces it will be extending its offering of same-day delivery for groceries to across the UK Continue Reading

Wimbledon 2017: The tech behind the tennis

Each year IBM and Wimbledon work together to deliver an excellent sporting experience to both fans and players through the use of technology Continue Reading

Visa encourages US businesses to go cashless with £500,000 in hard cash

Card giant offers small US businesses financial support to upgrade their payments technology if they agree to abandon cash Continue Reading

UK ranked as top 10 digital economy

The UK has been ranked among the top 10 nations in terms of digital capabilities Continue Reading

How IT can work alongside marketing to deliver on digital expectations

A recent digital customer experience summit hosted by Adobe has highlighted the link between IT, in-house talent development and change management Continue Reading

Cryptocurrencies: a niche pursuit?

Cryptocurrencies are on the rise, but why have digital currencies yet to reach the mainstream market? Continue Reading

Sainsbury’s Group sales grow as Argos boosts performance

Group reports 8% increase in online grocery business and 10% rise in online Argos sales as total like-for-like sales jump 2.3% in first quarter Continue Reading

App-based banking continues its ascent in the UK

The number of people banking from their mobile phones is increasing as more services are made available through the channel Continue Reading

Court ruling on Apple’s Irish datacentre planning dispute delayed by ‘shortage of judges’

The outcome of a judicial review into Apple's plans to build a datacentre in County Galway was delayed on Friday 23 June because of a shortage of judges, it has emerged Continue Reading

Swedish fintech Klarna gains full banking licence

Swedish online payments provider Klarna becomes one of “the largest banks in Europe” after being granted an EU-wide banking licence by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority Continue Reading

Waitrose joins John Lewis for Jlab 2017

The 2017 JLab will see Waitrose, John Lewis and JLP Ventures band together to mentor and develop several retail technology startups Continue Reading

Tesco customers miss out on deliveries due to tech fault

A glitch in the supermarket’s store-side systems has meant Tesco’s deliveries to customers have been delayed Continue Reading

Microchips implanted in hands could be in use for payments in 20 years

UK consumers are becoming more accepting that biometric authentication will become the norm for payments Continue Reading

Smart farming, IoT only way to feed growing population, says Beecham report

A report from IoT sector analyst Beecham says the agricultural industry will need to embrace smart farming methodologies to support the growing human population Continue Reading

Ethical fears hinder growth of artificial intelligence in France

In this issue, read how France’s relatively slow adoption of artificial intelligence is partly the result of public confusion, and partly due to the way the French have approached the ethical debate around AI. Also, read now organisations in Europe are failing to address the most important risks because they do not have a structured approach to complying with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation. And find out why, after 17 years, Dutch university TU Delft is saying goodbye to its legacy learning management system. Continue Reading

HSBC launches global social network for businesses

HSBC Bank is helping its business customers connect with potential partners through a digital hub Continue Reading

Taiwan’s OwlTing taps blockchain to improve food safety

The e-commerce company is using blockchain technology to provide consumers with greater transparency on food sources and production processes Continue Reading

Dubai financial services regulator launches temporary licence aimed at fintechs

Dubai is making it easier for financial technology companies to test out their ideas through a temporary licence Continue Reading

Interview: Nick Bleech, head of information security, Travis Perkins

Last year, Travis Perkins implemented Splunk to help it to respond more quickly to security threats. Now, the business is looking into machine learning and a single customer view Continue Reading

Customer experience transformation at Macquarie bank brings legacy system retirement as a bonus

Australia’s Macquarie bank builds a data layer on top of legacy IT systems to transform customer experience Continue Reading

Toys R Us introduces tablets for store staff

Toy and games retailer Toys R Us is trialling the use of tablets for store assistance to provide a better customer service experience Continue Reading

Made.com trialling real-time chat for customer advice

Online retailer Made.com has partnered with Hero so showroom staff can chat live with online shoppers to help with queries and shopping decisions Continue Reading

Blockchain economy on the horizon

Blockchain technologies will enable many new and disruptive business models than the internet itself, an expert predicts Continue Reading

Mayor of London seeks chief digital officer

Capital’s first-ever chief digital officer will oversee the digital transformation of public services across London Continue Reading

Case study: Specsavers furthers digital transformation with single customer view

UK retailer Specsavers has been in the process of digital transformation for several years, and has now partnered with Fujitsu to eliminate disparate systems and create a single customer view Continue Reading

CW Middle East: UAE faces IT recruitment challenge

In this issue, read how organisations in the UAE face a challenge to attract and retain top-quality CIOs and other key IT staff as the region seeks to tackle a technology skills gap. Also, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has revealed that plans to unveil passenger-flying cars are in the final stages, with the initiative expected to launch in July 2017. Meanwhile, the UAE is mirroring global trends by eagerly adopting virtual reality technology. Continue Reading

Virtual reality in healthcare

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how virtual reality technology is starting to be used to improve health and patient care. We examine the new UK tax laws that are causing IT contractors to quit government digital projects. And we analyse the software licensing issues arising from SAP’s recent court case over indirect access to its applications. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

The Graze journey: from pureplay to multi-channel

Health food retailer Graze began as an online subscription platform, but has used customer data to successfully cross the boundary into the physical retail space, says CEO Anthony Fletcher Continue Reading

Customer expectation is biggest problem for retail, says panel

As retailers increasingly try to serve consumers across online, in-store and mobile, the main challenge they face is consumer expectation, according to a panel of experts Continue Reading

How Game used data to transform store experience and drive personalisation

Group insight director at video games retailer explains how customer interaction data has been used to create a personalised experience in-store Continue Reading

UK tech braced for Brexit

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government invokes Article 50 to leave the EU, we find out the tech sector’s concerns over two years of Brexit uncertainty. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at how to deploy SAP Hana, the software giant’s in-memory database suite. And we ask CIOs what they think about blockchain, the distributed ledger technology that’s generating so much excitement (and hype) in the IT community. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Less than 8% of retailers respond to customer queries across all channels

The omni-channel environment of the retail industry is raising customer service expectations, but very few retailers are responding to consumers on all of the channels they offer Continue Reading

Making the UK fit for 5G

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we look at the government’s new 5G strategy and assess whether it’s enough to stimulate development of next generation mobile networks. We meet some of the Silicon Valley startups hoping to revolutionise big data analytics. And we examine how to prevent the move to DevOps from harming work-life balance for IT professionals. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CW Europe: Technology poses new risks to jobs, economies and society

Rapid advances in technology could have destabilising effects on employment and economic growth, and could exacerbate social unrest, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned. Society’s failure to keep pace with technology change was a key risk under discussion at Davos in January. Continue Reading

Nordea brings social aspect to saving with fintech startup Spiff

Nordea launches a mobile savings app from Norwegian finanical technology company Spiff Continue Reading

Retail industry steps up the fight against rising cyber threats

UK retail body BRC publishes the first of its kind step-by-step guide on how to manage cyber security threats Continue Reading

Alibaba runs academy to find future e-commerce leaders

Online marketplace firm Alibaba launches a global academy designed to find and train young people to join the e-commerce landscape Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Top IT priorities for Nordic CIOs in 2017

In this first issue of CW Nordics in 2017 we take a look what CIOs in the region are expecting in the year ahead. We asked a select group of CIOs and analysts in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden what IT projects are at the top their priority lists. Also read about the Nordic region as a hotspot for IT startups, with Sweden punching above its weight in financial technology. And find out how board executives at healthcare company Elekta are analysing workforce data to make better strategic decisions. Continue Reading

The technology transforming the retail industry

The retail space is evolving rapidly as brick-and-mortar stores try and compete with pureplays such as Amazon. Omni-channel retailing has increased the pressure on retailers to deliver a fast, reliable service whilst also ensuring their brand offers a personalised customer experience. This picture gallery looks at some of the technology innovations that are driving and transforming the retail industry such as in-store technology, robotics and artificial intelligence. Continue Reading

Santander introduces voice-controlled payments

Santander has taken its voice-controlled banking initiative to the next phase, with customers now able to make payments by voice Continue Reading

Autodata turns to big data to predict vehicle failures

Vehicle data company sees 30% jump in revenue after moving to open source software and opening its data to garages, insurers and parts companies Continue Reading

CW Benelux: Is there a Dutch digital delusion?

On government and business levels, the Netherlands aspires to be a digital leader in Europe, but it may be losing ground because of a lack of research and development investment. Also in this issue, IT decision makers based in the Benelux region are less confident than their European neighbours that IT budgets will increase in 2017, and Dutch bank ING, which used digital technology to reinvent itself after the financial crash, is about to reinvent itself again. Continue Reading

Just Eat uses startup accelerator to stay ahead in foodtech

Online food ordering service’s head of corporate ventures explains how helping startups through its accelerator programme helps it to keep in the centre of the food technology ecosystem Continue Reading

Finnish city takes €10bn leap into digitisation

Tampere is encouraging its people, businesses and government organisations to come together to make digital transformation work for everyone Continue Reading

How AI is disrupting the role of call centres and call centre staff

Artificial intelligence could eliminate many white-collar jobs in coming decades. Its effects are already being felt in the call centre industry, but there is still no substitute for the human touch Continue Reading

Retail tech training – an opportunity to drive employee retention?

A job in retail is often the first employment many people will have, so could technology training increase the retention of store staff? Continue Reading

Lululemon turns to digital transformation to support consumer community

Athletic apparel retailer’s executive vice-president of digital explains how the brand has used digital transformation to support its core value of a community ecosystem Continue Reading

Southampton FC signs up to cloud-based e-commerce

The cloud-based system by Advanced supports fan engagement and is able to handle peaks in traffic on Southampton FC’s website Continue Reading

Quip acquisition of Unity&Variety beefs up subsidiary

Salesforce hopes to add visual and creative elements to its document tool, while Commerce Cloud's integration with Facebook Ads hopes to make buying easy. Continue Reading

HSBC appoints technology advisers to keep pace with IT changes

Bank hopes to gain knowledge about technologies such as artificial intelligence and biometric security through its new technology advisory board Continue Reading

Aldo uses Salesforce to drive ‘customer delight’

Luxury retailer is using Salesforce to drive engagement, a seamless experience and customer loyalty Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank digital banking problems an industry warning

Lloyds Bank’s digital banking problems still unresolved after a second day Continue Reading

Tech focus helps Singapore go second in globalisation index

Singapore is the second most globalised economy in the world and its IT infrastructure is critical to this achievement Continue Reading

Half of the younger generation still prefer a traditional checkout

The use of technology in retailers is increasing, but despite growing omni-channel adoption, many young people still prefer a traditional checkout Continue Reading

Just Eat showcases innovative “food tech” - the future of online delivery

Online food delivery service Just Eat has a number of ideas for how food tech will influence the future of online food delivery, including technologies such as augmented reality (AR) artificial ... Continue Reading

Top 10 financial services stories of 2016

Here are 10 of the most popular fintech articles on Computer Weekly in 2016 Continue Reading

Almost 90% of customers say social media availability affects brand loyalty

Customers expect to be able to contact brands via social media, with nine out of 10 claiming availability of a brand through their preferred social channel has an impact on their retailer loyalty Continue Reading

The United Arab Emirates enterprise IT trends for 2017

The UAE is already a leader in areas such as smart city developments, and 2017 looks set to see organisations in the country increase its adoption of other transformational IT Continue Reading

Academics link payment card vulnerability to Tesco Bank cyber heist

UK academics uncover a vulnerability in online payment systems, which they say could have been used in the Tesco Bank cyber heist Continue Reading

Mastercard uses artificial intelligence for transaction approval

Mastercard is using artificial intelligence to reduce the number of transactions that are wrongly declined, while maintaining security Continue Reading