While it’s impossible to predict the future, we can be certain that society will always come up with The Next Big Thing. Lately, the buzz is all about the metaverse. And like anything new and trendy, many are trying to comprehend the metaverse and how it will affect our lives. If we distill the metaverse to its essence, it’s how we’ve transferred many of our experiences from the real, physical world to the digital landscape….  MORE

The past two years have been tough for retail. Stores had to close, malls turned into ghost towns, employees quit in droves. To adapt, retail businesses had to re-invent themselves in some form. Shift to e-commerce only, add curbside pickup as an option, or a hybrid of the two. To execute on any of these strategies, they had to enhance current or create new customer journeys. They had to improve information design and user experiences….  MORE

If it can happen in the sports and entertainment world, it can happen for much less glamorous professions: The youngsters eventually begin to replace the veterans. That’s what happening at an increasing clip in the IT profession. And the younger generation – those from Gen X and Gen Y – are asking for more than lofty salaries. They also expect 21st century working conditions and more evolved managers. Granted, it’s not as if long-time IT…  MORE

There was a time when “supply chain” was a term that you’d only hear in business meetings or read in industry-related articles. But now the average person has an awareness of what supply chains are and how they directly affect our lives. Due to the global pandemic, there’s a shortage of consumer goods, auto parts, computer chips, you name it. Without a smoothly flowing supply chain, we can’t get the products we need. And neither…  MORE

For the past few years, we’ve all been hearing about the day when retailers will deliver our groceries and electronics via drones. Why load up a truck and drive through traffic when a drone can get there quicker and cheaper? That promise is inching its way to reality. The U.S government has recently allowed testing for low-altitude drones, which will be experiments that may pave the way for long-distance deliveries and services. Global powerhouses like…  MORE

Companies who were lazy about their digital transformation efforts got a big wake up call starting in March, 2020. That’s was the dawn of the COVID 19 pandemic, which is when people started spending more time online than ever before. Fortunately, many of those apathetic brands saw the writing on the wall and got with the digital program. They began to leverage disruptive technologies to deliver value to customers and drive growth. The thing is,…  MORE

More than ever, technology plays an integral role in retail success. The systems, software, and platforms a retailer decides to employ can make the difference between a thriving enterprise and a failed business. That’s why it so important to know which technology is legitimate and which is merely hot air. No one can claim to know for sure which trends will be the next big thing, and it’s good to stay away from those reading…  MORE

For years, the IT department was perceived as the people who merely made sure that computers worked and that the network stayed up and running. Those in the know, however, knew that IT had a much more strategic role. In fact, over the past 10 years, IT has rightly been given a seat at the table where key business decisions are made. But with higher respect comes increased competition for the best technical talent. Companies…  MORE