News & Blog

2020 is the year to create personalized experiences and raise the bar to meet your customers wherever they are, in-store, online and in-home.  

KWI was the first to introduce Retail to the cloud over 3 decades ago. Today, the platform continues to utilize the cloud for a seamless omni-channel experience with POS, Merchandising, eCommerce, CRM, and Loss Prevention all powered from a single database. 

Join us at NRF’s Big Show at Booth #5355. During this year’s event, we are excited to be showcasing these new and improved innovations to our already powerful platform: 

It’s go time for retailers as the holiday season kicks into high gear. With Black Friday the last day of November, there are six fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so retailers have started Black Friday deals even earlier than normal and have even more on the line. According to Cowen retail analyst Oliver Chen, “"We're in a very strong consumer environment. If you're having difficulties, what does it mean for the future?" Morning Consult Economic Intelligence currently holds at 110.2 — close to its highest measure in a year and above the 100 line that divides positive from negative impressions of economic outlook. 

But before holiday shopping officially begins, many other retailers made headlines this month. Alibaba’s Singles Day on November 11 beat Amazon’s Prime Day sales within an hour of being live, generating $13 billion in sales. Reports came out that luxury reseller The RealReal had sold counterfeit merchandise, calling into question its authentication process. And lastly, LVMH announced it would purchase Tiffany for $16.2 billion, the largest ever in the luxury sector, giving LVMH more access to the US market and helping Tiffany in Europe and China. 

Here’s what else caught our eye in November:

Once again the retail industry is gearing up for the holiday season. Wondering what kind of holiday season it will be? The National Retail Federation expects holiday retail sales during November and December to increase between 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent over 2018 to a total of between $727.9 billion and $730.7 billion. PwC’s 2019 Holiday Outlook reports that Black Friday is now more symbolic than significant with almost 50% of shoppers waiting until after Black Friday Week to complete their shopping.

What’s notable is that the winners this holiday season and beyond will be the ones that are combining technology, personalization and in-store services in new ways to drive customer acquisition and increased customer lifetime value. As we approach 2020, it’s about the ability to meet customers wherever they are, in-store, online and in-home.

Stories about technology, personalization and in-store services that caught our attention this month:

Investing in an intuitively designed POS can have a direct impact on your revenue. Read on to find out more.

Advertising Week has become a fixture on the New York conference calendar in September, attracting brands, marketers and technology providers as well as retailers and celebrities. This year there were more than 100,000 attendees, 350 sessions and 1,200 speakers. KWI’s Chief Customer Officer, Frank Weil, curated and emceed the Retail track on day one of this four-day conference. With a focus on retail and direct to consumer (DTC brands), Advertising Week’s Retail track featured sessions on modern commerce in the digital world and sought to understand how retail evolved the ways brands sell, and how has it changed the way consumers buy.