Technology & Innovation

Articles about technology and innovation in retail.

  1. Data & Insights

AI Workloads Are Breaking the Grid – And Creating a $47 Billion Power Crisis

The dirty secret of the AI revolution? Every ChatGPT query, every training run, every computer vision model is putting unprecedented strain on electrical infrastructure that was never designed for this kind of concentrated power demand. Data centers now consume electricity like small cities, and the grid is struggling to keep up.
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  1. Data & Insights

Your Weakest Link and What You can Learn From the Animal Kingdom

In 1786, a Scottish philosopher named Thomas Reid wrote a line that’s been misused ever since: “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” What most don’t know is that Reid was talking about chains of reasoning. His point was that the conclusion you arrive at can’t be stronger than the weakest step […]
4 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Shining stars: the latest edition of the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List goes live at RTS 2026

The latest edition of the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List is here, sponsored by 3D Cloud and launching on the first day of RTS 2026 in London. The list has seen a surge in popularity over the past few years, to the point that we’ve decided publishing it once a year is no […]
2 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

The Doctor Shortage That’s Pushing Surgery Into the AI Era

Neurophysiology technologists are becoming as rare as parking spots at a busy hospital. With surgical volumes climbing and qualified professionals in short supply, operating rooms are turning to an unexpected solution: artificial intelligence that can monitor nerve function during spine, brain, and ENT surgeries.
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  1. Operations & Supply Chain

How to Prepare for Your First Retail Purchase Order

Getting your product onto physical store shelves is a massive milestone. It signals that a retail buyer sees potential in your brand and is ready to put money behind that belief. But the excitement of landing a retail partnership often brings a new wave of logistical challenges, starting with the all-important Retail Purchase Order (PO). […]
5 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

The $12 Billion Ventilator Revolution: How AI is Breathing New Life Into Critical Care

Picture this: a ventilator that doesn’t just push air into lungs, but actually learns from every breath, predicts when a patient is ready to breathe independently, and alerts doctors before problems arise. That future isn’t science fiction — it’s happening right now in ICUs around the world.
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  1. Retail Ecosystem

Commerce Riff with Sri & PVSB – April 21, 2026

Each week, the CPG Guys will riff on the hottest topics in the world of omnichannel commerce.  This week’s topics: Uber Invests More in Delivery Hero DGMN introduces in-store audio Conagra’s new CEO Goop Kitchen CPG Guys Website: http://CPGguys.comFMCG Guys Website: http://FMCGguys.comSheCOMMERCE Website: https://shecommercepodcast.com/Rhea Raj’s Website: http://rhearaj.comLara Raj in Katseye: https://www.katseye.world/ DISCLAIMER: The content in […]
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  1. Trends & External Forces

Amazon Accused Of Price Fixing In New Antitrust Lawsuit

The California Attorney General’s office has expanded upon an antitrust lawsuit accusing Amazon of engaging in price fixing “by pressuring major brands like Levi’s and Hanes to ask competing retailers to raise prices on certain products.”  Attorney General Rob Bonta is seeking a preliminary injunction that, according to the Los Angeles Times, would “bar Amazon […]
3 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

The AI Sentiment Recovery That Nobody Saw Coming

March delivered a plot twist for AI sentiment. After February’s market recalibration left many investors questioning AI’s immediate prospects, our latest Sentiment Index reveals a surprising 75.95 overall score — signaling not just recovery, but renewed confidence across multiple sectors.
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  1. Data & Insights

12 early breakout AI and software companies right now 

By Jenny Liu, Director of Product @Yipitdata New Signals data across ~250,000 software and AI vendors highlights a small group of early-stage companies converting rapid adoption into real spend.  A small group of early-stage AI and software companies are breaking out in early 2026, showing rapid customer adoption paired with real spend growth across YipitData’s […]
6 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

Restaurant Brands in Trouble: Structural Stagnation, Broken Franchise Models, and the Cost of Not Evolving Fast Enough

  The restaurant industry is no longer being disrupted in cycles—it is being structurally rewired. Consumer behavior has shifted faster than most franchised systems can adapt: off-premise now dominates occasions, value is defined by time savings plus total meal utility, and digital engagement is no longer optional—it is the operating system. Against that backdrop, a […]
6 min read
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  1. Department: Nonfood

Human Made

This week’s cartoon goes out to my friend Ann Handley, who has been putting up a valiant defense for the em dash (—). As Ann put it recently: “People are patrolling the streets, rounding up em dashes like it’s CSI: Grammar Unit. “Use one in a paragraph? That means you’re secretly AI! You’re generating your […]
3 min read
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  1. Technology & Innovation

Paul Aspden moves on up at Debenhams Group as he takes on Chief Technology Officer position

Debenhams Group has announced the appointment of Paul Aspden as Chief Technology Officer. He joined the retailer in 2023. Most recently Director of Technology, he has been instrumental in developing and scaling the group’s proprietary technology ecosystem which underpins its marketplace model. In his new role, Aspden will focus on scaling Debenhams Group’s technology platform, […]
3 min read
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  1. Data & Insights

The Omnichannel Gap: Building the CRM of the Future for Patient Services

Today’s guest post comes from Karishma Desai, Associate Director of Data Strategy at Claritas Rx. Karishma explains how the complexities of specialty therapies require a customer relationship management (CRM) system that unifies consent management. She goes on to explain that by embedding AI into the patient journey, automating workflows at scale, and enhancing collaboration among […]
2 min read
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  1. Owned Brands (Private Label)

FaceTime with the Content Guy: w/ Michael Sansolo, Reporting From PLMA

Michael Sansolo and I spent the end of last week in Bentonville, Arkansas, where we attended and facilitated sessions at the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference.  Afterwards, we found a quiet corner in the hotel/conference center to reflect on what we heard and learned, especially from keynoter Scott Morris, Senior […]
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  1. Shopper & Customer

The Grocerant Guru®: Jollibee, Chickenjoy, and the Global Family Meal Migration

  In today’s foodservice economy, consumer behavior is undergoing a structural shift. Traffic is no longer dictated solely by proximity or price—it is increasingly driven by flavor discovery, cultural relevance, and occasion-based meal bundling. At the center of that migration is Jollibee, a brand that has translated Filipino flavor profiles into a scalable, high-frequency, takeout-driven […]
5 min read
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  1. Department & Category

Bojangles Repositions for Relevance: Mini-Meals, Snackable Dayparts, and the Rise of Interactive Eating

  At a time when traditional meal occasions continue to fragment, Bojangles is leaning into one of the most durable macro shifts in foodservice: the rise of snacking as a primary consumption behavior across all generations. With the launch of Bo’s Chicken Rippers, the brand is not simply introducing a limited-time offer—it is recalibrating its […]
5 min read
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  1. Trends & External Forces
  2. Shopper & Customer
  3. Technology & Innovation
  4. Trends & External Forces
  5. Associates & Employees
  6. Merchandising
  7. Stores & Formats

Walmart to Expand Digital Shelf Labels Chainwide

Walmart will deploy digital shelf labels (DSLs) chainwide this year, doubling the approximately 2,300 U.S. locations currently using the technology (Walmart U.S. operates more than 4,600 stores). With more than 120,000 items in a typical Walmart store, managing price changes manually requires significant associate hours. Additionally, these DSLs are equipped with LED lights that make […]
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