Technology


  • Two people stand, arms folded, in front of bright-colored photographs of jewelry and people having fun.
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    Courtesy of Pura Vida
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    Column

    The Weekly Closeout: Vera Bradley sells Pura Vida and Edible Brands enters the hemp industry

    Vera Bradley will offload the bracelet brand two years after taking full ownership, and the Edible Arrangements company expands its horizons.

    By Retail Dive Staff • March 21, 2025
  • The Biden administration signed into law legislation that gives TikTok owner ByteDance one year to sell the platform or face a nationwide ban.
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    Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
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    US shoppers averaged $700 on TikTok Shop in the last year

    Gen Z in particular uses the app’s shopping feature the most and increasingly trusts influencers, according to a report by Partner Centric of American consumers under 60.

    By March 20, 2025
  • Trendline

    How the payments landscape is changing

    As the space rapidly shifts, the future is for anyone's taking. 

    By Retail Dive staff
  • Walmart Connect
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    Courtesy of Walmart
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    Walmart creates a generative AI tool for merchants dubbed ‘Wally’

    The tool is intended to help merchants complete time-consuming tasks like data entry and analysis.

    By March 20, 2025
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    Kaarin Vembar/Retail Dive
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    Klarna to displace Affirm as Walmart BNPL provider

    The Swedish buy now, pay later business partnered with a Walmart-backed fintech to offer loans at the retail giant via a digital payments app.

    By Patrick Cooley • March 19, 2025
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    littleny via Getty Images
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    Retailers deploy AI in pursuit of CX gains, loss prevention

    Despite adoption plans, companies are grappling with system integration issues, a lack of training resources and frayed customer trust, according to Everseen.

    By Lindsey Wilkinson • March 19, 2025
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    Unsplash / Christiann Koepke

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    Sponsored by Rakuten Cloud

    Next-generation edge cloud: Transforming retail IT infrastructure for agility and profitability

    Next-generation edge cloud technology enables retailers to consolidate fragmented systems, reduce latency, and streamline operations.

    March 17, 2025
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    Courtesy of Google Shopping
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    Google Shopping gets smarter with a suite of AI tools

    Customers can now virtually try on multiple makeup products at once based on beauty trends and draw inspiration from generated AI images.

    By March 13, 2025
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Target leans on generative AI and social media to capture trends

    The retailer wants to be a discovery destination by amplifying social media trends to help curate products.

    By March 13, 2025
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    Courtesy of Academy Sports and Outdoors
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    Academy Sports and Outdoors names former At Home exec CIO

    Sumit Anand also previously worked as the senior vice president of business and technology transformation at Signet Jewelers.

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • March 11, 2025
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    Daphne Howland/Retail Dive
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    Dick’s plots ‘significant investments’ in stores, digital as winning streak continues

    Technology and marketing will see more capital as the sporting goods retailer looks to take more share in e-commerce and grow its footwear business.

    By March 11, 2025
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    Nikola Stojadinovic via Getty Images
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    Lowe’s, Home Depot bring advice online with AI-powered tools

    Both of the home improvement retailers released tools that seek to offer shoppers the level of guidance they would receive in-store while browsing online.

    By Bryan Wassel • March 10, 2025
  • Wayfair's first brick-and-mortar store in Wilmette, Illinois on Sept. 3, 2024.
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    patty_c via Getty Images
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    Wayfair lays off 340 tech employees

    The company also plans to close its Technology Development Center in Austin, Texas.

    By March 7, 2025
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    SolStock via Getty Images
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    Retailers are pushing payment modernization as customers ask for more

    A KPMG survey found that a majority of retailers plan to keep updating their payment programs to keep up with consumer tech demands.

    By March 6, 2025
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    grinvalds via Getty Images
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    Luxury shoppers embrace AI, but remain wary of sharing personal information

    Two-thirds of luxury fashion customers use AI when they browse online but are cautious about the details they provide, according to a Saks Global survey.

    By Bryan Wassel • March 6, 2025
  • David's Bridal opens a store in Naperville, Illinois.
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    Courtesy of David's Bridal
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    David’s Bridal wants to be a retail, AI and media powerhouse. And named a new CEO to lead the way

    Kelly Cook is now chief executive as the bridal retailer evolves into an asset-light company and enters its “Aisle to Algorithm” era. 

    By March 6, 2025
  • Walmart Connect
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    Courtesy of Walmart
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    How Walmart Connect is growing the ‘connective tissue’ of retail media

    The launch of its Display Advertising API gives brands more opportunities to bridge the gap between offsite and paid search ads to drive performance.

    By Chris Kelly • March 6, 2025
  • A cardboard box, pair of sneakers, sweater, shirts and jeans.
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    Courtesy of Stitch Fix
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    Stitch Fix adds Affirm’s buy now, pay later services at checkout

    The option will give customers “flexibility and control” over their purchases, as the company continues to bolster services. 

    By Tatiana Walk-Morris • March 4, 2025
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    Courtesy of Amazon
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    Amazon upgrades Alexa+ with generative AI

    The e-commerce giant revamped its personal assistant tool to make it smarter, more conversational and nimble. 

    By Feb. 27, 2025
  • Underground entrance to the Ikea shopping center in Barcelona, Spain on March 5, 2024.
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    Jossfoto via Getty Images
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    How Ikea approaches AI governance

    A responsible AI policy and multidisciplinary team built the foundation of the company's compliance with the EU AI Act.

    By Lindsey Wilkinson • Feb. 27, 2025
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    Ezra Acayan via Getty Images
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    Generative AI and social media dominate purchase decisions

    Consumers are turning to social media as a primary source when shopping, Capgemini found. Now, they want generative AI to aggregate those results.

    By Feb. 27, 2025
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    Courtesy of Walmart
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    Walmart expands same-day delivery reach

    Tech advancements are also helping the retailer bring store-fulfilled orders to more customers.

    By Max Garland • Feb. 25, 2025
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    Thomas Barwick via Getty Images
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    Sponsored by Sovos

    The 2025 retail playbook: how to create a winning ecommerce strategy

    Enhance eCommerce strategies: streamline checkout, handle returns and maintain compliance.

    Feb. 24, 2025
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    Courtesy of Amazon
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    Amazon tests search feature that shows products it doesn’t sell

    Currently in beta, the expanded search function will send shoppers to a brand’s website if the product they want isn’t sold on Amazon.

    By Feb. 20, 2025
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    Michael M. Santiago / Staff via Getty Images
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    Etsy refines search experience for ‘people that don’t speak merch’

    The company expects improved search and personalization to pay off with improved performance in the latter half of 2025.

    By Bryan Wassel • Feb. 20, 2025
  • A Walmart storefront showcases its refreshed brand identity, with a new typeface and the spark logo set apart as a standalone asset.
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    Permission granted by Walmart
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    Walmart to deploy AI price forecasting tool

    The retailer will use tech provided by Helios to predict the price and availability of agricultural commodities.

    By Catherine Douglas Moran • Feb. 19, 2025