Mizuno partnered with BigCommerce because it was aiming to future-proof its business “by employing an innovative composable commerce approach with a customized tech stack while still delivering a significant cost reduction,” the companies said in a joint statement. Mizuno’s new site includes integrations with Deck Commerce for order management functions and Bolt Commerce for checkout. Mira Commerce was the lead on the construction of the site.

Casey Rodriguez, direct-to-consumer manager at Mizuno USA, said the brand’s go-to-market (GTM) strategies have shifted in recent years. “We really needed to make sure that those new objectives aligned with our infrastructure,” Rodriguez said. “Modernizing our e-commerce platform has enabled Mizuno USA to enhance our customer experience, respond more effectively to market demands, and support ongoing growth and innovation in the competitive global athletic apparel market. We’ve already seen an increase in average order value by 12 percent.”

Switching to BigCommerce enabled improvements in three key areas for Mizuno USA.

The new site offers greater flexibility. BigCommerce said that adopting a composable commerce framework ensures Mizuno “that technology services and custom functionality can be updated and replaced with minimal risk to the overall system.” In addition, accessing a continually expanding app marketplace “has allowed for quick, low-cost experimentation with adding new features and services that prove to help growth,” the company said.

Mizuno’s site also allows for real-time product availability. BigCommerce said moving from scheduled updates to real-time product availability improve the accuracy of product listings. And by streamlining the path-to-purchase process and integrating Bolt Commerce’s one-click checkout has reduced the time for customers to complete the checkout process by 90 percent,” BigCommerce said.

“The thing that sticks out most for me is how we streamlined our checkout process,” Rodriguez said. “Implementing Bolt and offering a basically seamless checkout experience to our customers has been a game changer for us.”

Mizuno’s marketing team said it has experienced a 40 percent decrease in time to deploy site content and marketing campaigns, thereby “creating more operational capacity without the need to increase operational expenses,” the company said.

The brand noted that its previous e-commerce stack had limited core functionality “and a closed architecture that required significant investment to integrate third-party services and add new features. The absence of an active app marketplace further made it difficult to add new functionality to their site to keep pace with competitors and meet customer expectations.” It was also costly and time-consuming to run.

Al Williams, general manager of B2C at BigCommerce, said, “With an eye on the future and scalability, Mizuno USA took an innovative composable approach to their digital architecture that will deliver flexibility and agility to keep up with the needs of their customer no matter how the business needs to shift. Working with our great partners at Mira Commerce and leveraging our open platform, Mizuno USA now has a beautiful site that delivers engaging customer experiences and improved performance that scales for the future.”

Mira Commerce said it was able to quickly design and develop custom apps using Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company said custom apps and microservices provided new site functionality for the Mizuno site, “as well as processes that enabled real-time and near real-time data flows between Mizuno USA’s legacy backend systems and other core digital commerce systems and third-party services.”

Sergei Ostapenko, chief executive officer of Mira Commerce, said Mizuno was using “a monolithic legacy solution that was heavily customized over the years, and that made innovation challenging. It limited the ability to experiment, try new things, or run necessary campaigns. They needed a tech stack that balanced form, function and performance, and BigCommerce’s composable solution was the perfect fit.”

Listrak Presents at UPS Virtual Event

The UPS “Future Proof Your Business” virtual event was a hit with small business owners.  The intiative was done in partnership with New York Urban League Small Business Solutions Center and included a presentation from Listrak, which has been a member of the UPS Digital Connections program since 2015.

Listrak’s session, titled, “Are You Tricking or Treating Your Business — Future Proof Your Business” was presented by Erin Grogan, director of strategic partnerships at Listrak, who was revenue strategy manager at UPS prior to joining Listrak.

Grogan discussed the importance of partnership as well as the essentials of email/SMS marketing for any business. She also presented key points from Listrak’s holiday trends report and discussed how they can be leveraged this holiday season.

Grogan also reviewed key shipping dates and how businesses can use them to create touchpoints with their clients via their email/SMS and social strategy. She also gave an overview of the resources available on Listrak’s holiday resource guide/center as well as other free resources to help support entrepreneurs and small businesses.

“They provided tools that made me feel like becoming a successful entrepreneur is actually attainable,” said entrepreneur Jamela Mack. “They pointed out many of the details, such as freight services, that many new business owners may not think of. I’m grateful for the information and will incorporate some of it into my business plan.”

It’s Time to be Clear About Returns

Fresh consumer research from Reshop and Narvar revealed the need for options clarity in the post-purchase shopping experience.

The survey found that 58 of shoppers expect their refund “within a day of requesting a return, however, the reality is that most refunds take days or even weeks to process,” said a spokesperson. While some shoppers don’t realize how long it can take, “69 percent of people say they’ve had to contact a retailer about the status of their refund after making a return,” the spokesperson said.

The report, titled, “The Importance of Post-Purchase Choice This Holiday Season,” was done to reveal key insights on how to leverage flexible return and refund options to drive conversion and customer loyalty. Seventy-five percent of respondents consumers say that faster refunds makes them more likely to shop again with a retailer or brand.

The survey also found that 82 percent of shoppers polled said having multiple return options makes them more likely to make an online purchase during the holidays. “This underscores the heightened importance of flexibility and choice during the holidays, where offering a variety of return options can significantly influence purchasing decisions,” the report’s authors said.

“And it’s not just returns overall where consumers are demanding choice,” the report noted. “Having options in how they get their refund back when making a return matters to their buying decisions, as well.” The research found that 78 percent of shoppers polled “say it’s valuable to have the ability to choose between receiving a refund, store credit, or an exchange when returning a product this holiday.”

Why offer flexibility? Because it can pay off in the long run. The report’s authors said beyond the initial purchase, providing customers with choices “during their return experience significantly enhances their overall brand experience, influencing their decision to shop again. This, in turn, helps build the elusive long-term loyalty that retailers strive for.”

In Other Narvar News…

Narvar has announced the return of Jim Emerich as its chief financial officer. Emerich initially worked with Narvar in an informal advisory role following the company’s Series A funding round, helping lay the foundation for its early financial structure and growth.

Emerich took a brief hiatus to deepen his AI experience, and now he’s back to spearhead Narvar’s financial strategy and operations.”

Emerich reports directly to Anisa Kumar, Narvar’s recently announced CEO. Kumar said Emerich’s “extensive experience and deep connection to Narvar make him the perfect choice to lead our financial strategy as we enter our next phase of growth. His return comes at a critical time as we continue to innovate and scale our business globally.”

In a statement, Narvar said Emerich has more than three decades of experience “leveraging his financial and business expertise to scale technology companies through organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, and IPOs. His track record of delivering predictable financial performance and his sharp focus on compliance make him a valuable asset to Narvar’s leadership team.”

Emerich said Narvar’s vision “for transforming the post-purchase experience, combined with its commitment to innovation powered by AI and data, presents a compelling opportunity. I look forward to helping the company scale sustainably while delivering unmatched value to Narvar’s retail partners and their customers.”

More Executive News

WorkJam said it is strengthening its sales leadership team by promoting Will Eadie, who has served as the company’s chief revenue officer since 2020, to the company’s chief strategy officer.

Adobe and SAP sales veteran Jerry Short will become CRO the company said. Both executives will report directly to WorkJam CEO Steven Kramer.

“Will has been critical to our rapid growth, and his extensive knowledge of the frontline workforce dynamics our customers in multiple industries navigate daily is unparalleled in our organization,” said Kramer. The CEO added that Short is a great addition the company.

As CSO, Eadie will be overseeing near-and long-term corporate strategy and development, strategic alliances, and go-to-market strategy. He will working closely with the marketing, product and customer success teams, the company said.

Eadie said WorkJam is uniquely committed to helping solve customers’ workforce challenges through digital innovation and, ultimately, to empowering frontline workers across industries and geographies each day.”

Eye on the Prize: Focusing on Customers

In NuOrder’s latest consumer and retail research report, the customer, and winning their loyalty, is top of mind of for industry executives who are also reacting to changes to the market — such as a shift in focus to physical stores. However, executives are also fixated on the bottom line.

NuOrder’s 2024 “Decoding Department Stores: Research & Insights” report found that maximizing profitability “remains the top business priority for department stores, and they are 95 percent heavily investing in customer loyalty initiatives and inventory risk reduction to drive success,” the report’s authors said, adding that retailer’s greatest challenges “are keeping up with the changing consumer landscape and effectively improving the customer experience. Retail professionals agree that the customer is top of mind for any major business decision.”

Michael Ganci, GM of NuOrder by Lightspeed told WWD in a recent report about the survey results that there’s been a lot of back-and-forth “about the merits of online versus brick-and-mortar and direct-to-consumer versus wholesale or marketplaces. It can get noisy and confusing.”

“The data is loud and clear: these channels are not mutually exclusive: online and physical shopping are equally important,” Ganci explained. “Retailers continue to maintain a strong presence in e-commerce (91 percent) and physical stores (80 percent), and their planned expansion is focused primarily on new storefronts (62 percent) and online marketplaces (40 percent).”

Ganci went on to say that retailers’ strength “lies in their ability to gather and use customer data, a crucial component often overlooked in discussions of the ‘retail apocalypse.’ While they have the potential to succeed in today’s volatile market, outdated back-end systems pose significant challenges. However, with the integration of advanced technology, particularly AI, we are confident that retailers can overcome these hurdles and achieve long-term profitability.”

Being proactive instead of reactive as well as having hyper-curated assortments may hold the key to success in this new retail landscape. Ashley Collins, retail client director at NuOrder by Lightspeed, said regarding the shift to physical stores, that the company is seeing our clients, “like Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, opening locations to make it even easier for their customers to shop with them locally.”

“For example, Bloomingdale’s is opening smaller concept stores called Bloomies, and Nordstrom is opening more Rack locations,” Collins said in the report. “Hyper-curated stores will continue to be the strategy for some time to come.”

Via a new partnership, Steve Madden will utilize Hilos’ 3D printing and generative design technology to condense its shoe development process for certain new products. This will allow the brand to create and deliver shoes in as little as 72 hours and will help avoid overproduction by starting its creation process only once an order is placed. The brand announced the partnership Tuesday during a session at TechCrunch Disrupt.

“Steve Madden has always been about speed, but that’s increasingly come at odds with becoming a more sustainable company,” Steve Madden’s chief sustainability officer Gregg Meyer said in a statement. “This Hilos partnership is revolutionary for us because we can produce faster, make less, but sell more. This is just the start of something big for both of us.”

Founded in 2019, Hilos creates and ships a 3D printed shoe to a customer within 72 hours of an order placement. This responsive model allows the company to avoid excess production — and the 3D printing system helps avoid manufacturing waste that is common in the months-long cycle it typically takes to produce a pair of shoes overseas. Hilos, which stands for Human Innovation Lab Operating System, lets humans design their own shoe sketches on its platform but uses AI to accelerate the process.

Hilos began testing its solution with its own concept footwear line that launched in May 2021 with an open-toe chunky heel called the Georgia. Since then, the technology captured the attention of other sustainably-minded brands looking to utilize the system in their own network. In October 2021, Hilos partnered with shoe brand Helm to launch a line powered by this technology. The Steve Madden partnership will be similar, but specific branding and messaging for the line is still in development. The products will be available for purchase in Steve Madden’s DTC channels.

Hilos recently closed a $5 million funding round in 2023 to fuel product creation and partnerships with other brands. The funding round included investors such as former Nike chief operating officer Eric Sprunk, Nike’s retired VP of global footwear sourcing and manufacturing Greg Bui, XRC Labs, Better Ventures and Builders VC and brought the company’s total funding to $7 million.

DailyPay has teamed up with WorkJam to deliver “financial wellness and flexibility” to employees. WorkJam said by embedding DailyPay’s EWA (earned wage access) solution into its platform, employers “will be able to leverage DailyPay’s award-winning platform to strengthen their relationships with employees, boosting satisfaction and reducing turnover.”

EWA is also known as early pay, on-demand pay and instant pay. It is a financial service that allows workers to access a part of their earned wages before their regular payday.

Stacy Greiner, chief executive officer of DailyPay, said the partnership with WorkJam “speaks to our commitment to empowering daily workers with the tools that enable them to be great at their jobs. Our employer-sponsored earned wage access solution is a win-win for both workers and employers, who are consistently challenged with retaining top talent.”

Greiner said research from the Hanover Group revealed that 95 percent of companies offering as EWA solution “believe it has a positive impact on employee retention.”

“Partnering with DailyPay is a natural extension of WorkJam’s mission to empower frontline workers with the tools and flexibility they need to succeed,” said Steve Kramer, CEO of WorkJam. “By integrating DailyPay’s earned wage access solution into our platform, we’re not only enhancing the employee experience but also enabling businesses to drive greater engagement and retention. This collaboration will help companies create a more connected, motivated workforce while simplifying how employees manage their earnings and time.”

Making Multi-channel Selling, Easier

ChannelEngine, the marketplace integration and operation software provider, said its platform is now available on the SAP Store, which is the online marketplace for SAP and partner solutions.

SAP said the new integration with its SAP Order Management Foundation (OMF) “not only enables efficient order and inventory management for marketplace selling but also leverages advanced AI capabilities to optimize multichannel operations.

Heather Hershey, research director of Worldwide Digital Commerce at IDC, said integrating order management systems with marketplace platforms “is critical to maintaining agility in an increasingly fragmented e-commerce environment. By aligning inventory management and marketplace connectivity, businesses can expand their global reach while streamlining operations, ultimately enhancing their ability to scale efficiently.”

SAP also said the integration also includes SAP OMS, which allows customers to synchronize inventory automatically, receive incoming orders, update shipments, and manage cancellations across 950 marketplaces, social commerce and other third-party sales channels. The integration makes it easier to manage multiple online sales channels. More integration is on the way.

“Looking ahead, ChannelEngine is set to enhance its integration further by supporting SAP Order Management Sourcing Availability (OMSA). SAP OMSA, also part of SAP OMS, will enable sellers to provide real-time stock visibility data, improving inventory accuracy and availability across marketplaces,” SAP said in a statement. “AI-Driven Business Optimization ChannelEngine’s AI-powered tools streamline the complex task of category and content mapping between the SAP Cloud Platform companies’ taxonomy and marketplace taxonomies.”

As a result, AI-enabled automation makes life easier because it removes much of the manual labor — which speeds up time-to-market. And this allows retailers and brands to focus on reaching new marketplaces and selling opportunities.

SAP also said ChannelEngine is also looking at the potential integration with SAP Omnichannel Pricing Promotion Service (OPPS). “This would allow sellers to seamlessly transfer and manage pricing and promotion data, keeping their offerings competitive across multiple channels, the company said.

“Our direct integration with SAP OMS enables users to activate new sales channels and reach global markets seamlessly,” said Jorrit Steinz, CEO of ChannelEngine. “By embedding AI-driven automation, we simplify global e-commerce, allowing merchants to capitalize on the built-in trust and reach of leading marketplaces while optimizing their operations at scale.”

Ritu Bhargava, president and chief product officer of SAP Industries & Customer Experience, said with the company’s SAP Order Management Services, integrated seamlessly with ChannelEngine, “customers can now sell everywhere, supercharging their unified commerce strategy. With this partnership, SAP is creating a seamless connection between any order channel and a customer’s supply chain and finance processes.”

Bhargava said SAP firmly believes that its unified commerce approach with ChannelEngine “will help customers optimize the end-to-end global complexity of commerce and unlock profitable growth with incredibly fast time to market with new channel expansions.”

The samples created by Mimaki are sturdy, purpose-built prototypes, featuring up to 10 million different colors and express a variety of textures from the Adobe Substance texture library. From shoelaces to the outer sole, the prototypes help brands get a hyper-realistic mock-up for their next big launch.

Importantly, the realism does not come at the cost of speed. The Mimaki 3DUJ-553 full-color 3D printer can print a full-sized footwear prototype in under one day, making it easy for brands to assess their prototype, make changes and create another 3D model, ultimately saving brands months during the often long design process.

Michael Sickels, 3D specialist of global marketing group at Mimaki Engineering, sat down with Fairchild Studios to explain the process behind printing 3D prototypes, how the company is expediting the typical timeline of designing, the impact of 3D printing beyond just the footwear industry and more.

Fairchild Studio: In your own words, how would you describe Mimaki?

Michael Sickels: The Mimaki Group is a development-driven group of companies that provide integrated services through the development, manufacturing, sales and maintenance of products such as industrial inkjet printers, cutting plotters and inks. Our development history began in 1987 with our first drafting plotter.

In 1996, we debuted our first inkjet printer and now have models applying ink down to 4 picoliters. To put that in perspective, there are 1 trillion picoliters in a liter — the human eye cannot see it.

In 2017, Mimaki took all those colorful years of high-performance inkjet development and brought it to 3D. The 3DUJ-553, an industrial full-color 3D inkjet printer, was born. Although this was our first 3D printer, we were able to leverage our extensive experience with ink jetting to bring unparalleled color and detail expression to 3D printing.

Fairchild Studio: In what ways is Mimaki’s full-color 3D printer an asset to footwear designers and students throughout the design process?

M.S.: Mimaki’s full-color 3D printers add value to the design process in the form of speed, creativity and ease of integration. Having the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 in the design room or design school removes the need to order early, nonfunctional prototypes to be made at a factory. That cuts months from the design process.

The 3DUJ-553 can print in 10 million colors and can print shapes and patterns that are difficult to conventionally produce. Lastly, the 3DUJ-553 can print 3D models made using industry-standard software whether it is Adobe Substance, Rhino, ZBrush, Modo or Autodesk.

No significant changes are required to your current workflow, you are gaining the ability to turn your wonderful, detailed designs into ones you can hold and feel in your hands.

Fairchild Studio: How does the ability to print highly realistic prototypes within a day impact the typical timeline of a footwear design project?

M.S.: Traditionally, footwear designers send tech packs to factories — usually in Asia — to have prototypes made. From order to prototype delivery, it can take easily over a month before a physical prototype is in the hands of a designer for expert appraisal. If there are any major changes, another prototype needs to be ordered, which will eat up more of that already scarce time in the product development cycle.

Imagine this: You install a full-color 3D printer in the design room and rapidly produce the prototypes in-house. The Mimaki 3DUJ-553 can print a visually realistic men’s size 9 shoe in under a day. Footwear designers can then appraise the print, make changes to the 3D model data and then print again. A process that normally takes months can be condensed into a few weeks, with all the magic happening in your own workplace.

Fairchild Studio: How does Mimaki’s integration with industry-standard software like Adobe Substance enhance the functionality and user experience?

M.S.: There are two areas where functionality and the user experience are enhanced. Firstly, full-color printing on the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 is compatible with all the major 3D data formats that include color — .obj, .ply, .wrl and .3mf. A designer can continue using their favorite 3D modeling software. Once the printer is installed and basic printer training is given, designers can begin full-color 3D printing of their designs quickly.

Secondly, the 3DUJ-553 can express your designs in a life-like quality. Not only can the printer express 10 million colors (including clear), but each layer of the model can be printed as thin as 20 micrometers. Imagine slicing your design into 20-micrometer layers from top to bottom, that is how fine the detail can get. Thanks to these features, the denim, mesh, leather or nylon you have on your shoe design will look like the real thing on your physical 3D print.

Adobe Substance, which is gaining wide adoption in the industry, is a great way to capitalize on this. Adobe Substance gives designers access to a library of thousands of realistic materials — even allowing you to scan your own — which can be dragged and dropped onto different parts of the footwear 3D model. The designer can then print the design and assess a visually realistic physical prototype. Imagination is the only limit.

Fairchild Studio: How do the features of the Mimaki 3D printer align with the specific needs of footwear designers looking to enhance creativity and innovation in their design process?

M.S.: Mimaki full-color 3D printing gives footwear designers access to quality rapid prototyping with confidence without the need for major changes to workflow. These benefits enhance creativity.

To illustrate this, imagine a designer thinking: “I haven’t tried this material/style/color before. It might not work but I’d like to see it. With a Mimaki 3DUJ-553, why not give it a try? You can have the life-like prototype in your hand in a day or two. In this way, the convenience and quality factor increase a designer’s creative freedom.

Fairchild Studio: Beyond footwear, how else is the company’s 3D printer able to create valuable prototypes in the merchandise and accessories market?

M.S.: The 3DUJ-553 works well with 3D CAD, CG and 3D scan software. Professionals in various industries have been able to apply our 3D technology to their specialized needs. For example, the color expression and precision of our 3D printers have found a home in the figurine and scale model industries.

Our printers are being used to prototype figure designs and even produce figures or models for sale to end customers. Our printers also work well with 3D scan data. A few companies have been using special 3D scanning equipment to scan people, pets and other memorabilia for full-color printing on the 3DUJ-553. Drones have even been used to scan buildings and towns to create 3D data to be later printed.

In the medical industry, we have some customers using the 3DUJ-553 to print highly detailed and accurate medical models. CT and MRI data can be used in this way. Architectural and construction firms have also shown interest in full-color 3D printing for analysis of designs as well as for use in presentations to customers and communities.

In these ways, a broad range of industries are finding value in our technology and I truly want our full-color 3D printing (and additive manufacturing as a whole) to become common knowledge. I want more people to know that these amazing things are possible today.

Fairchild Studio: How do you see the future of footwear design evolving through innovations and speed of 3D printing and prototyping?

M.S.: 3D modeling is going to increasingly become the way to design footwear. It offers designers so much more convenience and freedom in their creativity. Given that 3D printing goes hand in hand with 3D modeling and that 3D printers have achieved a high level of print quality, it is only natural that there will be increased adoption.

I have been told by several designers that nothing beats having a prototype that you can hold and feel in your hands. Physical prototypes are not going anywhere. 3D modeling and 3D printing will shorten the time from idea to design as well as give designers more flexibility. For these reasons, I believe that 3D is going to continue to revolutionize footwear design going forward.

Mimaki will have a booth at the Formnext convention in Frankfurt, Germany on November 19-22. Everyone is invited to stop by to check out the full-color footwear samples and ask any questions in-person!

For more about Mimaki’s 3D printing technologies, visit mimaki.com. If you have any questions or are interested in Mimaki’s 3D printers, please email inquiry_3d@mimaki.com.

Clarks footwear can be found in more than 100 markets via retail, wholesale, franchise and online too. The company also runs more than 500 full-price and outlet stores in Europe, the U.K. and across North America. But the heritage brand (it’s been making shoes for close to 200 years) realized its worn-out tech stack needed an upgrade.

“In 2022, the brand embarked on a company-wide digital transformation, anchored in MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless) principles and a strategic shift from on-premises to cloud-based infrastructure,” NewStore said in a case study. “A key challenge during this transformation was the outdated point-of-sale (POS) systems, some of which were over 20 years old, severely limiting the brand’s ability to compete in the modern retail environment.”

After an evaluation, Clarks teamed up with NewStore.

In the case study, NewStore said its SaaS solution and microservices-driven architecture, “aligned perfectly with Clarks’ vision for a modernized, future-proof technology stack. Moreover, NewStore’s implementation timeline was specifically tailored to meet Clarks’ aggressive schedule, ensuring a seamless and timely rollout across all channels.” NewStore said it also delivered exceptional value “in terms of total cost of ownership, providing a comprehensive solution that met Clarks’ needs while staying within budget.”

As part of the upgrade, NewStore worked with systems integrator AbsoluteLabs. “With a proven track record of implementing retail technology solutions, AbsoluteLabs played a crucial role in seamlessly connecting the NewStore platform with Clarks’ existing systems,” the company said, noting that the tech provider had “deep expertise in the platform’s capabilities [that] enabled Clarks to establish NewStore as the central source of truth for its retail operations.”

The result now allows Clarks to fully take advantage of omnichannel capabilities, “including store fulfillment, mixed cart processing, endless aisle, buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS) and buy online return in-store (BORIS). This integration has empowered Clarks to offer a unified and efficient shopping experience across all channels, reinforcing its position as a leader in innovative retail,” NewStore said.

“NewStore has been a key partner in our digital transformation journey,” said Simon Clarke, chief information officer at the brand. “The flexibility and interoperability of the platform were major selling points for us because we needed a solution that could modernize our technology and seamlessly connect our systems across all channels. This upgrade has allowed us to provide a consistent and high-quality shopping experience at every touchpoint, and we’re already seeing the added value it brings to our operations.”

Leveraging User-Generated Content

JCPenney is now on Bazaarvoice’s Visual Syndication Network. “The retailer has partnered with Bazaarvoice to collect and distribute visual UGC [user-generated content], including customer photos and videos, on their website’s product display pages,” the tech company said in a statement. “JCPenney is already accepting visual content from 64 brands to drive higher conversions, more time on site, and larger basket sizes.”

Joining the network, extends the retailer’s reach to their target customer. “JCPenney is looking forward to reaching our customers through this extended partnership with the Bazaarvoice Visual Syndication Network. Partnerships like these allow us to reach our customers in more relevant ways and help us connect more authentically with America’s diverse working families,” said Ann Eisenberg, JCPenney’s vice president of e-commerce.

Bazaarvoice said the network allows brands and retailers to seamlessly find visual UGC of their products “on social media, tag products, and request rights to use the photos and videos on their site and at retailers where they sell their products.” The company said the network also allows end-to-end management “of every aspect of content acquisition at scale — , request rights, syndication, and reporting — all within the platform.” All of which results in eye-popping conversion rates.

Doug Straton, chief customer evangelist and retail growth officer at Bazaarvoice, said the platform sees conversion rates “increase by up to 150 percent when shoppers interact with product page images. Seeing how other people just like themselves are using or wearing products helps shoppers more easily visualize the product in their own lives.”

Returns Remain Painful for Retailers

Retailers’ efforts to strengthen their returns policy are harming consumer purchasing decisions, according to the latest retail returns survey from Blue Yonder. The supply chain management solutions provider found that of the 1,000-plus consumers polled who said they were aware of stricter return policies, “69 percent state that tighter return policies are deterring them from making purchases, which is up significantly from the 59 percent in 2023.”

By generational cohort, Gen Z and Millennials are likely to defer from purchases given return policies. And 91 percent of all respondents said “that a lenient return policy influences their decisioning habits when shopping at retailers.” The researchers also found that when  asked about the tighter returns policies, 51 percent of those polled “felt restrictions on returns are either inconvenient or unfair, with 37 percent saying they were fair and understandable.”

Given more stringent return policies, shoppers are also returning purchases less frequently. Fifty-six percent of respondents said they tend to make a product return once or twice each year (or even less), compared to 61 percent in the prior survey last year. “Comparatively, 34 percent of consumers polled said they are making “more frequent returns (every few months or more), which is the same as in 2023.”

Other key findings include that 55 percent of those polled said they “are very or somewhat concerned about the environmental impacts when returning items.” The researchers also learned that shoppers would take additional steps if they knew their return products were headed for a landfill. Of those polled, 36 percent said they would seek “an alternative, eco-friendly disposal method” while 35 percent said they’d attempt to resell the item. Just 27 percent said they would continue with the return process as planned.

Shopping Streaming Events

During the recent MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), Shopsense AI rolled out Shopsense AI Lens, which is “an embedded, cutting-edge product recognition technology.” The tech allowed VMA audiences across Paramount’s global network to shop products “at the moment of inspiration on streaming and broadcast content.” This is first time the VMA the entire VMA broadcast was shoppable, “from the red carpet to the stage, at shop.mtvVMAs.com,” the company said.

The new feature lets viewers shop for their favorite TV shows and live events — directly from their second screen. “It creates seamless shopping experiences curated specifically for individual shows for broadcasters across linear, streaming and their owned and operated content properties,” the company said, adding that Shopsense’s proprietary, newly launched AI-powered Lens “activates viewers to snap what their favorite artists are wearing and then shop the looks they love in an AI-curated digital store.”

John Halley, president of Paramount Advertising, said MTV “is home to some of the biggest moments in music and pop culture and has been at the forefront of innovation, pushing boundaries to connect in new and exciting ways. Shopsense is creating a truly immersive and interactive experience that seamlessly blends entertainment and commerce. We can’t wait to see how our fans embrace this new way to engage with the VMAs and look forward to extending the Shopsense AI Lens to additional Paramount content in the coming weeks and months.”

Glenn Fishback, co-founder and CEO of Shopsense AI, described the launch of Shopsesne AI as a cultural milestone. “Content creators want to get closer to the point of purchase, and Shopsense AI has quickly become the new commerce engine for broadcasters,” Fishback said. “I can’t think of a better cultural moment for us to launch the new Shopsense AI Lens than at the VMAs, a powerhouse phenomenon of music and fashion that perfectly aligns with our vision of transforming the way viewers interact with content.”

Retailers Not Making the Grade with Product Discovery

Similar to other consumer studies published recently, researchers at Constructor found a startling number of shoppers dissatisfied with their online experience. In their report, 42 percent of those polled “give product discovery experiences on retail websites a ‘C’ grade or below.”

The findings reveal if retailers “are making the grade” when it comes to online search and product discovery. The results show that retailers may need to stay late for extra help.

Some of the key findings include that 68 percent of those polled “think the search function on retail websites needs an upgrade,” the report’s authors said, adding that this was “felt more strongly in the U.S. (71 percent) than U.K. (61 percent). The search challenges included too much scrolling, needing to reformulate search queries, and a lack of irrelevant results.

Other struggles include not knowing who is shopping despite prior visits and engagement. The report found that 44 percent of respondents “say that when they shop with their favorite retailer online, the site treats them like a total stranger — with generic recommendations and a total lack of personalization across the buyer journey.” There’s also little joy in shopping, the report noted.

“Less than 1 in 3 shoppers (32 percent) say finding products online is ‘enjoyable’ — highlighting an opportunity for retailers to create experiences that drive deeper engagement,” the report’s authors said. And there are consequences for a poor shopping experience.

“Poor product discovery experiences often breed poor results,” the report’s authors said, noting that online shoppers say “when they can’t find what they want, they’re more likely to leave the retail site (52 percent) and take their wallets elsewhere — buying the item(s) from a different retailer (48 percent) such as Amazon (38 percent) or through Google (27 percent).” Ouch. But if they could have a good experience, those polled said they’d shop more at that retailer, choose that retailer first for their shopping needs and leave a positive review.

“Good product discovery experiences literally pay off,” said Nate Roy, strategic director of e-commerce innovation, Constructor. “The bar for a good digital experience continues to rise, and successful retailers work to meet and exceed shopper expectations. As technology and cost barriers drop, it’s even easier for retailers to make incremental changes that measurably improve both the shopper experience and business results.”

Antigua “Tees Up Innovation” with PTC’s FlexPLM Solution

Antigua Apparel has tapped PTC and its FlexPLM solution to manage its product development process for their golf and sports-licensed apparel business.

Antigua is a legacy men’s and women’s apparel golf brand. The brand was founded in 1979 and soon launched its sports licensing business featuring golf-inspired products decorated with professional sports team logos.  “Today, Antigua continues to be a top manufacturer in both golf and sports licensing, but with more comprehensive men’s and women’s collections,” the company said, adding that its apparel offerings are “trend-driven and crafted with superior fabrications  —allowing its consumers to look, feel and perform their best on and off the golf course.”

PTC said Antigua will harness the power of its FlexPLM “to equip its design, development, and quality teams with a user-friendly platform that centralizes data, streamlines product development, and enhances daily efficiency and collaboration.”

The company said FlexPLM will also play a key role in managing the development and collections for Antigua’s sports licensed division, which is vast and includes a diverse portfolio of licenses such as the “NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, NWSL, U.S. Soccer, top international soccer teams, MiLB, WNBA, NBA G-League, PBR Teams, NASCAR, and over 400 colleges and universities,” PTC said in a statement.

Teaming up with PTC will create improved efficiencies for Antigua — which is essential as the brand continues to grow.

Reid Harper, director of product development/design/tech design for Antigua, said as the business evolves and grows, “we’ve realized that our current processes are too manual, with data scattered across spreadsheets, emails, and multiple databases, leading to inefficiencies and duplication. That’s why we’re excited to partner with PTC to implement a best-in-class, end-to-end PLM solution. This will centralize our critical data, improve decision-making, and revolutionize our product development process.”

 Kyle Marden, vice president of the retail business unit at PTC, said the company looks forward to partnering with Antigua “to drive their next phase of growth, supporting both their golf product development and sports licensing initiatives. Our goal is to equip their teams with the most advanced tools to fuel innovation and success.”

The State of Generative AI

Coresight Research’s latest market report, done in partnership with Digital Wave Technology, took a deep look in the use of generative AI and data by retailers. The firm examined how companies are using the technology and where investments are being made. What they found is a “fragmented landscape” of retail applications as well as investments that are pegged to soar over the next few years.

The firm said in the report, titled “AI and Unified Data: Empowering Next-Generation Product and Shopper Intelligence,” that the combined market for GenAI hardware and applications “totals $79.8 billion in 2024 — and it will grow quickly over the next few years, to $235.5 billion in 2028.”

Authors of the report also said the AI applications segment, including GenAI models, “is set to grow 4.5 times in that timeframe — outpacing hardware, with estimated compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) for 2024–2028 of 46.3 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively.”

Regarding the fragmented landscape of retail applications, the authors noted that date generated is frequently managed separately depending upon the function.

Demand forecasting, marketing, merchandising and pricing data are often in separate buckets, which “leads to the development of uncoordinated strategies and an overall disjointed and poor understanding of data and resulting decisions within an organization,” the report stated, adding that, for example, “marketing strategies and tactics may not be harmonized with pricing strategies, which could result in a failure to capture the target market.”

Improving Customer Service

When it comes to improving the shopping experience with personalization, retailers need to do more. According to the just-released 2024 Retail Customer Experience (CX) Index, which was done by Incisiv and in partnership with Talkdesk Inc., 34 percent of all retailers are “personalizing just one-third of their shopper journey,” the authors of the report said, adding that while retailers are trying to keep pace with technology trends, “gaps remain across capability adoption and customer expectations.”

But researchers did find some bright spots, “because as brands have prioritized customer experience strategies in recent years, maturity levels have trended upward.” The authors of the report also found that artificial intelligence (AI)-powered virtual assistant integration swelled from 38 percent in 2022 to 59 percent this year. And personalized recommendations by support agents jumped to 27 percent in 2022 to 49 percent in 2024.

Dave Weinand, chief customer officer at Incisiv, said the findings “reveal that while retailers have made significant strides in customer experience, there remains a critical gap between consumer expectations and what is currently being delivered. Retailers must accelerate their adoption of advanced technologies, particularly AI and automation, to deliver the hyper-personalized, efficient service today’s consumers demand.”

“This index is a crucial benchmark for retailers to understand where they stand and what steps they need to take to enhance their customer engagement strategies,” Weinand added.

The report also noted that apparel and footwear retailers, followed by luxury retailers, lead at adopting customer engagement strategies.

Apparel and footwear retailers “are at the forefront of customer interaction by effectively utilizing text messaging, voice communication, and an omnichannel live chat experience to enhance customer engagement significantly,” the report noted.

Ed Durbin, vice president and general manager of industry strategy for retail and consumer goods at Talkdesk, said the evolution of customer experience in retail “is nothing short of revolutionary. As consumers increasingly demand hyper-personalized, seamless interactions across multiple channels, retailers turn to AI-powered solutions to meet and exceed these expectations.”

Durbin said that at Talkdesk, “we are proud to support this transformation with AI-powered customer experience solutions that help retailers keep pace with changing consumer behaviors and set new customer engagement and loyalty standards.”

Room to Grow

Jumpmind Inc., a provider of retail technology arena, said it is expanding via the launch of Jumpmind U.K. and Jumpmind Ireland. These new operations aim to cater to the company’s expanding clientele across the U.K., Europe and the Middle East while meeting the needs of international retailers doing business in these markets.

Jumpmind offers omnichannel solutions for point of sale (POS), inventory management and unified promotions, which are all designed to enhance the shopping experience. The company leverages a modern, microservices-based platform that offers flexibility and promotes innovation. This platform can be deployed across numerous store locations and devices, often going live within months. In an effort to meet international demand, Jumpmind has evolved beyond its North American roots to offer localized and multilingual POS solutions that enable a consistent brand experience across global markets.

With this expansion, the company serves a robust retail market. Recent findings from Forrester estimated that retail sales in the Europe-5 economies (comprising France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.), exceeded 2.3 trillion euros in 2023 and are pegged to rise to 2.7 trillion by 2028.

To lead Jumpmind’s strategic expansion into these territories, the company has named Shaun Britton as vice president for EMEA. Britton is an industry veteran with over twenty years of experience, predominantly in sales management. He most recently served as vice president of sales, EMEA, at Mercaux, following a tenure at Aptos.

WorkJam, the digital workforce solution provider, said it received a $20 million investment from Export Development Canada (EDC) to fuel its international expansion. The company plans to leverage the funding to bolster its market presence in Europe and Asia.

With a surge in global travel and increased demand for exceptional customer service, frontline workers across various industries are facing unprecedented challenges. WorkJam aims to address these issues by providing digital tools that empower employees, enhance productivity and boost job satisfaction.

“We are thrilled to partner with EDC as we embark on this exciting phase of growth,” said Steven Kramer, CEO of WorkJam. “This investment validates our mission to transform the frontline workforce and underscores the significant impact our platform has on businesses worldwide.”

WorkJam’s clients includes Fortune 500 companies operating in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, logistics and healthcare. The company’s platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools including scheduling, task management, communication and learning modules — designed to streamline operations and improve employee engagement.

“WorkJam is a shining example of Canadian tech innovation,” said Guillermo Freire, senior vice-president of EDC’s Mid-Market Group. “We are confident that this investment will propel WorkJam to new heights and solidify its position as a global leader in frontline workforce management.”

Blue Yonder Acquires One Network Enterprises

Looking to strengthen its position as a leader in digital supply chain innovations, Blue Yonder wrapped up its acquisition of One Network Enterprises. The deal was valued at approximately $839 million.

The acquisition comes at a time when retailers and brands face ongoing supply chain volatility and disruptions, which makes real-time operational visibility and agility crucial.

Duncan Angove, CEO of Blue Yonder, said the deal “is not just about expanding our technology but transforming how supply chains operate. Integrating One Network’s cutting-edge technology into the Blue Yonder platform supercharges our capabilities, giving our clients unparalleled visibility and control.”

Angove said with real-time insights, AI-driven analysis and improved collaboration across networks, “businesses can preempt disruptions and optimize performance across their supply chains.”

As a result of the acquisition, the Blue Yonder suite is now a multi-enterprise, multi-tier network ecosystem that enables customers to view inventory and capacities in real time, thereby ensuring better supply-demand matching and quicker disruption response.

AI-powered tools are used to aid in monitoring, analysis and problem resolution across the supply chain. Simplified processes for onboarding new trading partners enhance collaboration within a global network of over 150,000 partners, the company said, adding that One Network will continue to operate independently in providing bespoke technology solutions to its government clients.

“Today’s business environment demands that decisions be made swiftly and collaboratively across an increasingly complex network of partners,” Angove added. “The newly acquired capabilities from One Network are crucial for businesses looking to thrive amid the challenges of modern markets.”

Data Breach Costs Hit Record Highs

Businesses are facing a brutal reality: Data breaches are becoming increasingly disruptive and expensive, with the global average cost reaching a staggering $4.88 million in 2024, according to IBM’s annual Cost of a Data Breach Report. This marks a 10 percent increase from the prior year — and the largest yearly jump since the pandemic.

The report, conducted by Ponemon Institute and sponsored by IBM, analyzes real-world data breaches experienced by over 600 organizations globally. Some of the key findings:

Disruption Drives Up Costs: Lost business, customer support and third-party response costs are skyrocketing due to the significant disruption caused by breaches. Seventy percent of breached organizations reported experiencing major disruption, leading to higher overall costs.

Security Staffing Shortage Takes a Toll: Understaffed security teams are struggling to keep up with the evolving threat landscape. Organizations with severe staffing shortages saw breach costs climb to $5.74 million, significantly higher than those with adequate staffing.

AI Offers Hope, But Risks Remain: While organizations using security AI and automation saw lower breach costs and faster containment times, the rapid adoption of generative AI (gen AI) introduces new security vulnerabilities. Businesses need to invest in AI-driven defenses alongside addressing staffing shortages.

There were some positive developments, though.

The report found that AI is helping to speed up response time. IBM said security AI and automation are proving valuable tools, enabling organizations to detect and contain breaches 98 days faster on average. In addition, internal detection is making a difference. Researchers found that proactive internal detection by security teams led to shorter breach lifecycles and significant cost savings compared to breaches discovered by attackers. There’s also been an increased investment in security.

Radar has named Zach Little as the company’s chief technology officer, which became effective on July 22, 2024. Little, who has more than 20 years of experience, previously served as vice president of engineering at Luminar Technologies and also held various roles at Argo AI, Apple and Microsoft.

The company said Little will oversee all its product development initiatives and report directly to Spencer Hewett, the chief executive officer. Radar also said Morgan Levine, a former vice president of legal and compliance at Farfetch, will join as general counsel, reporting to Eric Mogil, chief growth officer.

Radar said in a statement that Paul Petrus, the former CTO will continue to serve as a senior advisor to the company and as one of Radar’s largest stakeholders. “[Petrus] has been an amazing CTO and partner and I can’t thank him enough for his leadership, dedication and guidance over the last four years, enabling us to launch Radar and deploy our technology in-store with some of the world’s top retailers,” Hewett said.

Radar is a technology platform that combines RFID and “computer vision technology” to track in-store inventory. The technology helps sales associates quickly locate product in stores, which improves the shopping experience for consumers.

The addition of Little and Levine comes when Radar is on a rapid growth trajectory.

Hewett described Little as “a respected leader who combines technology expertise and the ability to get large hardware and software engineering teams to move in unison to accomplish business goals with lightning speed. His unique skill set and strategic mindset make him an ideal fit for Radar. At the same time, we’re delighted to welcome Morgan Levine as general counsel as we accelerate our business momentum.”

Mogil said Levine’s “deep experience and expertise in both retail and technology organizations make her an excellent partner to our executive team and board as we continue to scale Radar into a global market leader in retail technology.”

Little said retailers and brands “are seeking every competitive edge today, and Radar offers a revolutionary solution that delivers the inventory accuracy needed to enhance efficiency and profitability.”