We had an exciting few days at CES 2019 with the High Tech Retailing team. With quite a bit of ground to cover, we barely scratched the surface with 2.9 million square feet of exhibit hall. We're already preparing for next year. 

- CES Website

Robotics are a hot topic across retail, manufacturing and so much more. While we've seen them primarily used in rudimentary ways in the past, the addition of artificial intelligence is giving them new life.  Although the robots we encountered at the show were large prototypes or in miniature, there was variety, entertainment, and potential for all types of business scenarios.

Kelly Stickel and Maureen Jann on the hunt to find robots

The innovation was really popping in the High Tech Retailing area. It was exciting to see all of the ways IoT and artificial intelligence were impacting new products in a highly intentional way. 

YouCam Makeup has a set of AI tools that recommends foundation, makeup and hair products with solid results from users and their experience. Proctor and Gamble launched a skin advisor platform that uses artificial intelligence offering customers skincare advice. 

We captured a selection of images we thought best represented CES.  From Robots, to a sea of humanity, the offerings were rich on the showroom floor. Outside were temporary buildings that showcased even more vendors.  Google's temporary building was impressive, no doubt in an attempt to draw attention back to the frequently criticized Google Assistant.
More smart appliances are being rolled out and the technology of retail is getting richer and richer. 

Marketing and sales expert Jerry Talamantes is back with the final article of his three-part blog series about the in-store Customer Experience. He discusses how stores can leverage the in-store event to create experiences that solidify their connection with the customer.

​July was a busy month for Remodista and the retail community with Online Retailer’s 10th Anniversary happening in Sydney, Australia. Remodista’s founder and CEO Kelly Stickel spent some time in Sydney catching up with several leaders in our Women2Watch program and beyond. We’ll feature highlights from our latest Born to Disrupt workshop, a visit to Flora & Fauna, moments from the Online Retailer Expo and Conference, and ORIAS winners Julie Mathers, Lucy Glade-Wright, and Jo Harris.

From augmented reality to robots to holograms, brands today have no limits on new and exciting ways to elevate their store experience with technology. However, in order to ensure successful implementation, brands and retailers need a strategy for testing before a full-scale rollout can take place. If you represent an organization that is planning to leverage technology to better connect with your audience, there are a few things that you should do to prepare for a successful effort:

• Assess key questions up front
• Build a clear understanding of consumer behaviors 
• Allow for an appropriate testing period 

VTEX Day 2018 was an epic event.  A few of the Women2Watch community participated in panels and our very own Kelly Stickel took the stage.  We partnered with with three amazing women from the organization: Daniela Jurado, Sales Director, Alessandra Hypolito, Head of VTEX DAY and VTEX Events and Fabiana Cunha, Global Head of Events. Although Alessandra wasn't able to join us for our interview, we look forward to collaborating with her again next year. As way to understand the Brazilian retail space and the struggles with gender equality in leadership, we took a moment to ask them to share a few things they learned during our time together.

Overlooking the amazing Pacific Coastline in Laguna Niguel, we spent our time at the C360 customer event reflecting on the importance of having a trusted community, which we know well – the trust which allows us to collaborate freely is also the basis of transactional confidence. To underline that point, consider this: in a thriving and globally-connected economy, mobile payments are estimated to top $76B in 2018.  At that intersection of choice, security, relevant experiences, and innovation is TRUST.

The Shoptalk 2018 Conference was an amazing convention, brimming with smart people and key learnings. But for those lucky enough to be at our breakfast and cocktail reception, it was so much more: it was a place where some real relationships were built with trust and honesty. I am thrilled to have been a part of this incredible event. Here’s some insights from our breakfast event.​

The Shoptalk 2018 conference was full of excellent information, great speakers and leaders, and a ton of thought-provoking material. Heather Harris, Senior Advisor for Remodista shares her takeaways from the conference with four fabulous brands: CaaStle, Fabletics, Google, and Nike. ​

​We live in a world of non-traditional business models where omni-channel is an outdated word. Traditional retail as we know it is dead. What’s alive and well is new thinking and new approaches to solving customer needs

What a week we had in Melbourne! In addition to holding our Born to Disrupt workshop, Remodista was a big part of Inside Retail Live — an unmissable three-day event where retail leaders from around the world gather to share ideas, connect, and celebrate successes. It felt like all of Melbourne was involved with Inside Retail Live. We had the chance to see Charlie Cole, Chief Digital Officer of Tumi and Global Chief eCommerce Officer of Samsonite give a keynote speech; we visited retail stores in Melbourne and explored the theme of retail in Australia; and — best of all — we inspired women leaders! ​