A new global survey finds 67 percent of U.S. consumers think ads based on location data are “creepy” with only 31 percent comfortable sharing their location in real-time. Will location-based marketing eventually overcome the consumer perception that it is a creepy technology?

Amazon recently installed Just Walk Out (JWO) at a grocery retailer it does not own for the first time. 2023 will see even more buzz around the technology. Do you see Amazon’s Just Walk Out and similar checkout-free shopping technologies making a significant breakthrough in 2023?

Some market watchers see the biggest benefit from the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons being the extended geographic reach and consumer data access that could help Kroger capitalize on the burgeoning retail media opportunity. What would the proposed merger of Kroger and Albertsons mean for the retail media space?

New university research explores how grocers can take advantage of in-store cameras employing advanced artificial intelligence technologies to read facial expressions — raising an eyebrow, opening eyes, smiling — to enhance store layouts. What do you think of the potential benefits to store layout design of using facial recognition technologies?

It appears there’s been a significant tide turn for consumer packaged goods brands in the direct to consumer selling versus retailer distribution debate as marked by a consensus among presenters this week at Groceryshop in Las Vegas. Is it imperative for CPG brands to have DTC sites in addition to their presence in grocery stores?

Many of the components needed to deliver location-based services have been around for years, but the complexity of implementing infrastructure and integrating systems has kept retailers from using this technology to optimize operations. Why have retailers been slow to implement location-based solutions?

Amazon has introduced a new Store Analytics offering that taps its cashier-free checkout technologies to provide insights into the in-store performance of vendors’ products and ad campaigns.  What do you think of the value of store analytics tied to Just Walk Out technology for brands as well as for Amazon or stores licensing the technology?

Automated grocery stores have been slowly but surely popping up worldwide since the launch of Amazon Go. Now a checkout-free concept is on its way to college campuses, along with some other new tech-enhanced food solutions for students.  Do you expect that the reaction to autonomous grocers on campuses will be different than in general markets?

With looming changes to cookies set to undermine online targeting, retailers and brands are reconsidering ways to reach consumers in stores. Will retail media’s strong growth online translate into expanded advertising opportunities for brands at the store level?

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s the reaction of customers to the decision by retailers to replace see-through cooler doors with digital alternatives.  Are the digital doors used by Walgreens a solution in search of a problem, as critics suggest, or is it a valuable tool for shoppers, stores and consumer brands?

Retailers have found plenty of use cases for computer vision. The process of capturing, storing and analyzing shoppers’ images can generate great insights and outputs and, impose relevant ethical challenges for retailers. What do you see as legitimate use cases for computer vision and facial recognition technologies at retail?

Automatic identification and data capture technology is about to experience a dramatic expansion, and retailers will want to know how best to take advantage of the change. What impact will the transition to 2D scanning have on retailers and brands?

Radio frequency  identification (RFID) technology is once again being viewed as a solution for item-level inventory tracking, but its side benefits in marketing, analytics and research are also gaining attention. What’s your view on RFID’s potential benefit to marketing, analytics and customer research?

Starbucks and Amazon have teamed up to open the first of at least three concept stores between the two Seattle-based retailing giants. Will the new Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go concept be a winner for both companies leading to a wide rollout across the U.S.?

Patricia Waldron recently had the opportunity to discuss what it takes to deliver superior omnichannel experiences for consumers in the current retailing environment with execs from Showfields. Are sensory-driven brands doing enough to engage consumers across shopping touchpoints?

Two new Whole Foods Market stores scheduled to open next year will be set up with Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology to enable customers to shop without having to stop at a physical checkout stand. What are the potential and limitations of Amazon’s Just Walk Out and similar technologies to provide cashierless experiences in stores?

More than 35 civil rights groups have joined forces on a campaign to end the use of facial recognition by retailers amid heightened concerns over privacy and racial justice. Should retailers make a commitment to refrain from the use of facial recognition or are the technology’s risks and benefits still unknown?

Amazon.com is putting its cashierless Just Walk Out (JWO) technology to use in a new full-sized Amazon Fresh store in Bellevue, WA. Do you think Amazon will roll out Just Walk Out technology to all its Fresh stores and perhaps even Whole Foods?

Walmart has announced an “expanded vision” for its ad business. Which components of Walmart’s advertising revamp appear to offer the highest potential for brands looking to reach consumers?

Hudson, which operates in airports, travel hubs and tourist destinations across North America, has announced the planned opening of a new store concept that allows customers to check out without having to stop at a cash register. How likely is the Hudson Nonstop store concept to connect in a positive way with airport travelers across North America?

Retail has found new purpose in facial recognition during the coronavirus crisis for its potential to support contact-free payments, temperature checks, mask-detection and surveillance. Do you see facial-recognition technology offering solutions to the newer challenges facing retail due to COVID-19?

Amazon.com is rolling out a new smart shopping cart that will eliminate the need for customers to stop at registers in order to check out of a store. Do you expect Dash Cart to be in big demand by customers when Amazon opens its new grocery store format in Woodland Hills later this year?

As the pandemic shut down our shops, we adapted. We joined new online retail sites and placed orders in advance. Many retailers did not change, however, and those without a strong online presence are now failing. Which of the pandemic-related challenges identified in the article will be the biggest hurdle for retailers in the years ahead?

Amazon.com announced yesterday that it has begun selling the technology behind its Amazon Go and Amazon Go Grocery concepts to other retailers. Will other retailers buy Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology?

Convenience store giant 7-Eleven has announced it is testing a “cashierless” concept at its corporate headquarters in Irving, TX. Do you think there is a real future for cashierless stores in the convenience store channel?

At the NRF Big Show this year, one could say there was a more sobering mood to technology adoption by retailers. How should retailers balance the drive to constantly innovate to improve the customer experience with the need for proven ROI?

At the NRF Big Show, a number of startups in the Innovation Zone were dedicated to providing heat maps and other computer vision-based solutions for understanding consumer behavior in stores. What are the main obstacles preventing retailers from tapping technologies to better understand in-store customer behavior insights?

Being able to see what other customers have recently purchased has become a familiar part of the e-commerce shopping experience. Now one vendor is using in-store touchscreens to bring this functionality to brick-and-mortar retail. Will an in-store solution like Fomo Storefront play into shoppers’ desire for “social proof” on what to purchase?

Amazon.com is “in talks” to bring the Just Walk Out technology it uses to support its Amazon Go stores to OTG’s CIBO Express stores at airports and Cineworld’s Regal cinemas, and also exploring deals with concession stands at stadiums and baseball parks. What do you see as the biggest motivation behind Amazon’s reported exploration of leasing its Go technology?

A new startup is aiming to fix some of the pain points of Just Walk Out checkout technology by thinking smaller. Does technology like Veeve address enough of the concerns of Just Walk Out technology to make it a more viable alternative to Amazon Go and others?

Some of the most headline-grabbing retail technology is just the kind of stuff that retailers are hesitating to adopt, according to a new survey.  Robots, drones, beacons and facial recognition have thus far been adopted by fewer than 10 percent of retailers. Are retailers wise to be cautious about investing in cutting-edge technologies?

Amazon had planned to open 56 Go locations by the end of 2019 and 156 by the end of 2020, according to a report discussed on The Verge. Amazon has in fact opened only 15 Go stores, all located in major metropolitan areas. To what factor or factors do you attribute the slower-than-expected expansion of Amazon Go?

The pop-up shop is the ultimate expression of a trend whereby retailers reach beyond their stores and put themselves in front of consumers instead of waiting for them to show up at a store. It’s also much more than that. Is it time for retailers to create a tech strategy for pop-up shops?

Whether we’re calling it omnichannel, phygital, experiential or something else, the influx of technology into the in-store shopping experience has been one of retail’s most significant trends this decade. Is it accurate to say that stores are trying to make the in-store experience more like shopping online? Should they be?

When Amazon.com announced a c-store that would let people shop and walk out without physically conducting a transaction at a checkout, it seemed like a feat only they could pull off. Now, even regional grocers are attempting the same. What does the use of checkout-free technology by regional grocers mean for Amazon and its retail rivals?

Facial recognition technology has many practical applications. But while these use cases seem reasonable to most people, not everyone is enamored with facial recognition technology or how it’s being used. Are the benefits of facial recognition technology more trouble than they are worth for retailers?

Fast moving consumer goods and general merchandise retailers are racing against time to rethink their physical selling locations in the context of consumers’ digitally enabled shopping journeys. Will geo-location analysis gain traction as a retail tool this year or are the privacy concerns and other hurdles too high?

Walgreens is piloting a line of “smart coolers” with the ability to display targeted ads to in-store shoppers. How do you expect customers in Walgreens to respond to the Cooler Screens technology?

With smart homes, smart stores, smart buildings, smart shoppers and smart employees, the grocery shopping experience of 2030 promises to be — you guessed it — a smart one. Why do you or don’t you think that the 2030 grocery landscape will resemble the one imagined by Kantar Consulting?

Walmart is opening a laboratory inside a small Walmart in Levittown, NY to see how AI can be used to identify low stocks on shelves, when items are on the wrong shelf and spillages. Will artificial intelligence be a game changer for inventory optimization, labor scheduling or other aspects of in-store operations?

According to BRP’s “2018 Customer Experience/Unified Commerce Survey,” only 23 percent of retailers are able to identify customers inside stores before they check out. How can retailers improve their ability to identify customers before checkout?

Studies repeatedly show that second time buyers are more valuable and more profitable. So why do so many retailers focus heavily on sales transactions and fail to measure the KPIs of “the second sale”? Do you agree that retailers’ measurement and metrics remain too focused on product sales instead of customer relationships?

Traffic is probably the oldest form of engagement measurement, but there are complications with the metric as store managers with bonuses on the line seek ways to make their conversion rates look better. What are the pros and cons of using traffic as a measure of offline and online engagement?

Amazon.com has taken a slow and steady approach to rolling out its AmazonGo cashier-less stores since opening the first location in Seattle back in January. That may soon change, however, if Amazon opens 3,000 Go locations by 2021. What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Amazon and its competitors if reports prove true?

While measuring clicks and other online data is bringing more personalized experiences to customer’s online, Art Peck, Gap Inc.’s CEO, argues that retail is far from taking advantage of in-store data. Do you agree that retail is “not talking about” the value and potential benefits of capturing in-store customer data?

With only one Amazon Go store live, San Francisco-based Zippin hopes to be the checkout-free grocer that just walks in and wins at “just walk out.” What path do you now see “just walk out”/cashier-less grocery technology taking in the U.S.?

Last week, a start-up said it is getting ready to deliver the “first scalable checkout-free solution” suitable for mega-retailers and affordable for mom and pops. Does it make sense that the underlying technology behind AI that supports cashier-less stores would be highly scalable?

After nearly 14 months of testing its Amazon Go cash-free and cashier-less convenience concept with only its own employees, Amazon.com is ready to open the store to consumers in Seattle. Will Amazon Go be a hit with shoppers?

In a session at the 2018 NRF, supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Industries revealed a creative solution that blends technology with shoppers’ natural behavior to address the problem of out-of-stocks. Will crowdsourcing the task of finding out-of-stocks via shopping carts prove to be an effective method of minimizing out-of-stocks?

CPG companies are becoming a driving force behind the technological advancement of their retail partners. That was one of the main takeaways from a panel discussion at NRF. How can CPG companies demonstrate their product as being worthy of investing in tech upgrades for a given project?