Is mobile retail starting to grow up?

It really takes two things for mobile retail to become the norm…it has to be high on the agenda of the major brands and it has to be an expectation of the consumer. We’re making progress on both fronts. A recent survey by Internet Retailer shows that 79% of retailers now find mobile commerce important, […]

Technology, not politicians, will rescue healthcare

Watching the political theater in the US Capitol one has to wonder if there may not be a legislative solution for the American healthcare system. It seems as a country or government that we’re unable to agree on the approach or even on the scale of the problem. But there has to be something more […]

A glimpse inside the retail bank of the future

In previous blogs we referred to the operating models of retail banks by identifying certain product and channel features that drive the changes in the industry. This post will focus on the evolving operating model and the impacts it has on people, process and enabling capabilities, which is more than the technology that drives most […]

Suddenly, mobile location got really, really easy

We all know retail is being transformed by mobile technology and big data…that story is being told pretty much everywhere.   Some of the biggest changes, however, are the ones happening very quietly and without hype. The recent release of Apple’s iOS7 gave us iBeacons, something Apple didn’t shout about publicly but is clearly the reason […]

3 reasons I started my own company

The following is a guest blog by Darius Salehipour. In March 2012, I started my first day of user experience and interface design at a company in Palo Alto. That first day on the job I realized how much I needed to learn. After researching the oceans of new “user-centered thinking” articles and books, I […]

Can predictive analytics and Big Data help salespeople improve outreach?

While doing my morning reading, I came across Jeanne Roué-Taylor’s article, What good is marketing insight without action? In the article, Jeanne notes that, “A great model brings together data from several sources, feeds analytics, makes predictions, enables test-and-learn scenarios, and allows the organization to adapt as data, channels, and other factors change over time. […]

Are retail banks on course for an omni-channel revolution?

The following is a guest post by Sandesh Sharanappa. The banking industry is poised for a sea change as a result of the changing global and national regulations, demanding customers, disruptive technologies and the arrival of non-traditional players offering retail banking services. The industry faces a challenge in providing seamless customer experience, becoming truly customer […]

You had me at “Would you like a grande latte?”

My local Safeway isn’t what I would call a very modern store. And the employees are either high school kids bagging groceries and collecting carts or middle-aged cashiers, bakers and butchers. It was a big step forward a few years ago when I could sign for my credit card purchase on an electronic device. I […]

The fundamental, data-driven shift in retail

Retail is undergoing an enormous change that is just getting started. If you’ve been to Best Buy lately, you’ll notice that selection on the shelves is decreasing and that the chain is moving more toward a two-pronged selling approach. The first is to stock the store with popular items that attract consumers wanting or needing […]

Big data, crowdsourcing and machine learning tackle Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s is a very tough disease to fight. People suffering from the disease often have significant tremors that keep them from being able to create accurate records of their daily challenges. Without this information, doctors are unable to fine tune drug dosages and other treatment regimens that can significantly improve the lives of sufferers. It […]

Continuous improvement that actually works

Cloud technology continues to transform the way business is done. It has had an impact on the way software is bought and sold but also on the quality of software itself. A true cloud offering, as opposed to a hosted version of an on-premise solution, makes it easier than ever for software companies to focus […]

Netflix nominated for an Emmy and the revolution continues

Netflix was nominated today for an Emmy for its original series Arrested Development, House of Cards and Hemlock Grove. Google is going to try once again to deliver TV service over the Internet. Apple is looking to pay TV networks for commercial-skipping through a premium service. Is there a pattern here or what? These moves […]

Media and journalism even more disrupted by technology

GigaOM and The Guardian co-hosted a small event in London to talk about the role and impact of technology on media and journalism last night. Katie Fehrenbacher (Senior Editor) and Paul Walborsky (CEO) of GigaOM met with Tanya Cordrey (Chief Digital Officer) of The Guardian and discussed how the different trends affected how their operating […]

Big Data in financial services – State of the Nation

This week I was fortunate to attend the 2nd Big Data & Analytics Conference, organised by IQPC and PEX Network in London. The following are my take-aways from what appears to be a relatively confused landscape of business intelligence professionals, data architects, technology providers, and system integrators: 1. Whole market solutions – Financial Services institutions […]

Organizations need to be anti-fragile

Many large, successful organizations are more fragile than they seem. They break under stress. Remember the travails of Kodak, Digital Equipment Corp., and Washington Mutual? In their heyday, they were dominant players in their sectors. All disappeared. Why do relatively few companies prove resilient and withstand stress? And why are even fewer “anti-fragile” — that is, […]

Retail banks should take a lesson from omni-channel retailers

In a previous post I commented on the lack of innovation in retail banking in the UK and in other European countries. Riding the waves of the digital revolution, there is no doubt that most retailers will eventually adopt an omni-channel (‘OC’) approach to customer service. But is this equally true for retail banks? With […]