Smart Sneakers Enable Customer Wayfinding

easyJet’s Sneakairs prototype uses app, GPS to walk users to their destination.

If James Bond ever were to abandon his suits and ties for more casual wear, he'd probably pack a pair of Sneakairs before jetting off to an overseas mission. These are no ordinary shoes, but prototype smart sneakers that UK budget airline easyJe[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

No More Staring at the Beer Wall

Technology Lab, Technology News

The Beer Store has geeky plans to improve its customer experience.

You know the ritual: Step into the beer and wine store, and begin staring at the big display of bottles, cans, and packs. Domestic, imports, local, organic—it's all there but slightly overwhelming, sort of like staring at the cereal aisle in y[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

A Mall Opens Virtually on Xbox One

Technology Lab, Technology News

All you need to try clothes on in this mall’s changing rooms is a TV set and a gaming console. Could this latest mashup be the future of retailtainment?

The news of yet another mall opening its doors online might have fallen on deaf ears yesterday in the brick-and-mortar world. This is, after all, the holiday season, when shopping centers vie for record traffic while their tenants enjoy operatin[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Customer Service Android Arrives at Aqua City Odaiba

Technology Lab, Technology News

Junko Chihira is the ‘second sister’ of a family of robotic assistants created by Toshiba.

Robotic customer service is still a long way off, but if Toshiba continues at its current pace, it could be here sooner than we expect. The company has launched its second lifelike android, and this one is meant for the mall. This new android[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Target Helps Kids Get Active and Save Lives

Charity Partnerships, Technology Lab, Technology News

Partnership with UNICEF leads to unique wearable tech for kids.

Wearable technology is still in its infancy, so it's no surprise when a company comes out with a new toy that's less than entirely useful. Take DrumPants, for example: pants that are also drums (or are they drums that are also pants?). But Ta[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Bayfair Takes Flight

Technology Lab, Technology News

The center’s Spring/Summer campaign employs 3D Holocube technology.

Last month, New Zealand's Bayfair Shopping Centre trialed a new technology it hopes to get much more use out of in the future: 3D holograms. The center took the chance to debut the technology in New Zealand, in what it believes is a first-to-[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

National Geographic Signs Online Tourism Deal

Technology Lab, Technology News

The digital marketing partnership could serve as a blueprint for retail destinations wanting to attract inbound travelers.

Avid travelers who consider NationalGeographic.com their go-to site for discovering new destinations and planning their trips might suddenly feel the urge to book their next vacation in Florida. Just five days ago, the National Geographic Societ[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Large-Scale Retail Laboratory Opens in Shanghai

Technology Lab, Technology News

Image credits: The Fung Group

The Fung Group’s Explorium allows brands to analyze their interactions with shoppers in real time.

Adopting new retail technology often feels like something of an experiment, but perhaps nowhere so much as Explorium, a retail laboratory that has just been unveiled in Shanghai. Created by the Fung Group, a Hong Kong-based company with retail o[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Retail Data Breaches: Is Your Mall at Risk?

Technology Lab, Technology News

If you don’t yet have a CISO on your team, it’s time to add one. That’s one of the tips that Experian’s Michael Bruemmer shared with Tactics.

Cybercrime costs the global economy up to $500 billion annually, and half of online adults have been the victims of it over the past year in America alone. Those are staggering numbers coming out of the Cybercrime Center, a special business unit[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...

Simons Creates a 21st Century Portrait of Canadians

Technology Lab, Technology News

The Quebec-based clothing retailer invited artist and novelist, Douglas Coupland, to mark its nationwide expansion with a unique sculpture.

For nearly 175 years, clothing retailer Simons has been located solely in Quebec, Canada. That's now changing, thanks to a rapid expansion plan that will see stores open in Vancouver, Calgary, Mississauga, and Ottawa over the next two years. The[...] Tactics Subscribers Read More...