The 7 trends that will shape apparel retail in 2017

Technology, integration, innovation and personalization will be all the rage in fashion retail during the year ahead.  

By Lara Ewen • Jan. 4, 2017

Amazon's one-click patent nearing expiration date

So-called “utility” patents expire 20 years after the patent filing date — in this case, Sept. 12, 1997 — meaning that other retailers will soon be able to use the one-click function without having to license it from Amazon.

By Dan O'Shea • Jan. 3, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

Digital innovation and technology trends in retail

Generative AI and TikTok Shop have replaced the metaverse and NFTs as the hot topics of the day — here’s a look at how brands are using them.

By Retail Dive staff

How tech drove retailer turnaround efforts in 2016

Staples, Sears and J.C. Penney were among the big sector names leaning on tech innovation to help steer their comeback narratives and position themselves for growth in 2017.

By Dan O'Shea • Jan. 3, 2017

Amazon lands patent for 'airborne fulfillment center' to aid drone deliveries

The blimp-like fulfillment center concept intends to stock products for drones in order to assist them in filling orders as quickly as possible.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 29, 2016

Amazon touts bountiful holiday season for Alexa-based devices

Sales of Amazon devices employing the company’s Alexa virtual assistant technology were nine times higher than during the 2015 holiday shopping rush.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 29, 2016

Pokemon Go comes to the Apple Watch

The announcement comes just days after game developer Niantic announced Pokemon Go retail partnerships with Starbucks and Sprint.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 22, 2016

Amazon lands US patent covering drone security measures

The e-commerce giant noted in its original 2014 patent filing that drones and their on-board communication and data systems could be targeted by malicious hackers.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 22, 2016

UPS invests in reverse-logistics startup Optoro, readies for National Returns Day

Optoro applies algorithm-based analytics to determine where the retailer will best recoup its losses on unwanted items.

By Edwin Lopez, Jennifer McKevitt • Dec. 22, 2016

The retail winners and losers of 2016

Some retailers spent the year readying for the industry's future, while others grappled with the ghosts of its past. Here are the companies, technologies and trends that soared or sank in 2016.

By Corinne Ruff • Dec. 22, 2016

Lidl eyes small-format stores with online order pickup

The new Lidl Express concept incorporates a dedicated in-store location for customers to pick up online orders and shop for fresh products.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 22, 2016

Amazon pays shipping on Goodwill donations packaged in e-retailer's boxes

Shipping platform Give Back Box has partnered with several other retailers since 2012, including Overstock, Ann Taylor, New Egg, eBags, Bonobos and REI.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 21, 2016

Drone operator Flirtey made 77 delivery flights for 7-Eleven in November

Flirtey gained Federal Aviation Administration approval for the deliveries, all of which occurred near the drone operator's metropolitan Reno, NV headquarters.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 21, 2016

Staples appoints e-commerce veteran Masud to new CTO role

Since joining the office supplies retailer in mid-2013, Masud has led the expansion of its omnichannel capabilities and spearheaded the rollout of the Staples Exchange vendor platform.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 21, 2016

Akamai acquires bot security upstart Cyberfend

Cyberfend's bot-related security and detection solutions will help Akamai grow its bot management and mitigation services for several industries, including retail.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 19, 2016

Pinterest hired more female tech workers in 2016, but fell short of goal

The social media site grew the percentage of women it employs in technology jobs from 21% to 26% in 2016, and increased the ratio of engineers to 22%, but missed its self-imposed goal to boost the latter figure to 30%.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 19, 2016

Starbucks, Walgreens use Promoted Places on Google Maps for holiday marketing

As location data becomes more essential during key moments, brands are staking out their territory. 

By David Kirkpatrick • Dec. 19, 2016

12 news stories that shaped retail in 2016

From American Apparel's second bankruptcy to Amazon's blockbuster self-made holiday, here's a look back at the biggest events from the last 12 months.

By Corinne Ruff, Jason Ankeny • Dec. 19, 2016

Wal-Mart looks to blockchain for produce, pork tracking

Blockchain has become key to tracking highly complex transactions in the financial services industry, and its security capabilities have been honed by that sector's sensitivities.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 18, 2016

American Eagle, Aerie debut bots for bra browsing, holiday shopping

Customers may browse bra styles using filters like fit, style or occasion. The bot also promotes company culture through photos, videos and social media.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 18, 2016

MasterCard, Visa team up on tokenization

Digitizing or tokenizing card credentials is an important step to enabling payments on a massive scale through connected devices, wearables and the billions of machines that will make up the Internet of Things.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 15, 2016

PayPal aligns with Citigroup, FIS in bid to grow in-store mobile payment opportunities

While PayPal has been a major online player and has expanded into mobile in general, it historically lacked the relationships to make it a payment force in stores.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 15, 2016

5 tech trends that transformed retail in 2016

Artificial intelligence and related breakthroughs steered retailers toward more effective customer engagement, while virtual reality and augmented reality redefined how shoppers experience the world.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 15, 2016

Under Armour expands connected footwear lineup

Automatic run tracking technology from the athletic apparel retailer's MapMyRun mobile app and global digital running community provides runners with workout and fatigue data.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 14, 2016

Amazon's Prime Air takes flight with first commercial drone delivery

The test flight involved an Amazon Fire TV device and a box of popcorn, and reportedly took about 13 minutes from the time of order placement to delivery.

By Dan O'Shea • Dec. 14, 2016

10 innovations that could disrupt grocery in 2017

The Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, droid delivery systems, mobile wallets and in-store gardens should be on every grocer’s radar in the year ahead.

By Sandy Skrovan • Dec. 14, 2016