Terms of the partnership were not disclosed.

The tech company said the key benefits of this partnership include enhanced real-time analytics and improved data consistency and accuracy. DSW said it will leverage Skypad’s technology to increase visibility into its weekly vendor sales and inventory. “The accurate, real-time data provided will empower DSW and its vendors to strategically manage stock levels, analyze demand trends, and optimize merchandise strategies,” the companies said, adding that Skypad’s platform “addresses the issue of inconsistent data flows from suppliers, ensuring accuracy by sourcing information directly from DSW. This data reliability improves forecasting and supplier collaboration.”

There are other benefits as well — including optimized assortment and revenue growth. Skypad said with its detailed reporting tools, “DSW can tailor product assortments to precisely meet consumer demands, minimizing inventory risk, boosting margin growth, and elevating customer satisfaction.”

Michelle Mackin, senior vice president, general merchandise manager and head merchant at DSW, said, “With Skypad’s real-time insights and advanced sales and inventory reporting, we now have the ability to optimize inventory management, enhance product assortment, and collaborate more closely with our suppliers.”

Mackin said the partnership “will not only streamline our operations but also allow us to make data-driven decisions that align with consumer demand and market trends. We’re excited to leverage Skypad’s innovative technology to drive efficiencies, increase profitability, and ultimately create an even better shopping experience for our customers. This is an exciting step forward in our journey to remain a leader in the footwear retail space.”

The companies said leveraging Skypad’s analytical capacities will also enable DSW “to anticipate market trends, refine demand forecasting, and remain competitive in a fast-evolving retail landscape.”

Gil Hakami, Chief Revenue Officer at Skypad, added, “We are excited to partner with DSW, an industry leader in footwear retail, to deliver the benefits of SKYPAD’s cutting-edge sales and inventory reporting and analytics. This partnership is a pivotal step in our mission to empower retailers with tools that drive efficiency, strengthen supplier relationships, and fuel growth. Collaborating with a retailer as dynamic and influential as DSW underscores our shared commitment to innovation and excellence. We look forward to seeing the transformative impact this partnership will bring to DSW’s operations, its suppliers, and, most importantly, its customers.”

The addition of DSW follows a deeper push into the footwear space. Retailers are increasingly seeking out automated reporting tools as well as access to data that can help inform business strategies and improve operations. Retail partners using Skypad include Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Currently, 150 footwear retailers including Manolo Blahnik, Sophia Webster and Christian Louboutin use the platform.

Aptos also said it was making an unprecedented increase in research and development investments for 2025 — targeted at enhancing the capabilities of its Aptos One platform.

The company said this strategic decision is poised to address the evolving challenges in retail technology, emphasizing accelerated product releases, advanced AI integrations and a seamless unified commerce experience.

With The Buckle, Aptos said the retailer has picked Aptos One to be its new point of sale (POS) platform. “With Aptos One, Buckle teammates will have access to cutting-edge technology that enables personalized and efficient interactions with every guest who visits a Buckle store,” the company said adding the retailer offers a curated mix “of high-quality, on-trend apparel, accessories and footwear” and operates more than 440 stores.

Regarding the impetus to implementing Aptos One, the company said Buckle had been using its software since 2018, but decided to move from Aptos’ Windows-based POS system to Aptos One to create a better shopping experience for consumers and level up its operations. Brandon Hauff, vice president of IT at Buckle, said, “Aptos One is an extremely cohesive system, offering advanced store operations and guest engagement capabilities within a flexible platform. With the Aptos One app, Buckle teammates have everything they need to add value to the guest experience, including guest insights, product details, inventory information and loyalty status.”

Hauff said the retailer’s mission “is to create the most enjoyable experience possible for those shopping with us and those working for us. Our investment in Aptos One supports that mission, bringing to life an experience that is relevant, informed and frictionless.”

Jeremy Grunzweig, general manager at Aptos, noted that Buckle “has consistently demonstrated excellence in retail operations, fostering a culture of learning, growth and evolution. With advanced omnichannel and customer engagement capabilities, Aptos One is uniquely equipped to support Buckle’s dedication to unified commerce and creating enjoyable shopping experiences.”

Separately, Aptos said WSS has deployed Aptos One POS for all the same reasons as Buckle. From improving store operations to deploying more effective customer engagement strategies, the subsidiary of Foot Locker Inc. is rolling out Aptos One at a time when WSS enters a growth phase. WSS said it was tapping Aptos’ technology last July. Aptos said dozens of WSS stores went live on Aptos One POS immediately prior to the holiday shopping shopping season, with the remainder set to adopt the solution in early 2025.

The footwear and apparel retailer has had new store openings in Texas, Nevada, Arizona and Florida, “alongside the strengthening of its already significant footprint in California,” Aptos said, adding that as part of its expansion strategy and commitment to retail excellence, “WSS is embracing cutting-edge technologies designed to meet the demands of today while ensuring adaptability for the future.”

“We are a visionary organization, and our technology investments reflect that,” said Sarah Derba, senior director of information technology, at WSS. “Modern software architectures are important to us, and so is field performance. When evaluating POS systems, we put a lot of consideration into questions like, ‘How is this going to perform in the field?’ and ‘Is this going to make the job easier and better for our employees?’”

Derba said now that the retailer is live with Aptos One, “we’re seeing firsthand the positive impact that it has on employee and customer satisfaction and the overall energy in our stores. WSS employees can ring up transactions, add loyalty points, access real-time inventory and customer data, complete omnichannel orders, and much more – all from a single, mobile-first device.”

“What has impressed us the most has been the speed and ease of serving customers, and the speed and ease to configure, update and deploy the application,” Derba said. “Aptos One proves that enterprise-grade POS applications can be fast and easy to use while still offering deep functionality.”

Unified Commerce Innovations for 2025

As Aptos continues to sign on new clients and upgrade existing ones, the company has plans to invest heavily in R&D for the Aptos One platform. This year will mark the largest R&D budget commitment in Apto’s history to boost innovation and speed in product development. The company is also transitioning to a unified data model across all Aptos applications to enhance operational efficiency and data synergy.

Also on deck is an integration of AI-driven insights for enhanced customer experience, including personalized recommendations and sales insights directly within the POS interface. There will also be the launch of a GenAI chatbot to support data-driven decision-making and operational efficiency in-store.

Enhanced clienteling tools are also in the works. New features will provide store associates with comprehensive customer data such as purchase history, loyalty status and style preferences directly through the POS, thereby personalizing the shopping experience and increasing customer loyalty.

But there’s more.

Following the 2024 introduction of the Store Inventory Management (SIM) application, 2025 will see its expansion to include fulfillment capabilities, driving efficient inventory management and optimized sell-through. Aptos also said there will be a transition from biannual to five releases per year starting in 2025 to ensure the timely delivery of new functionalities. There will also be a phased rollout of a unified commerce data model via Snowflake to enable enhanced data accessibility and insights for SaaS customers related to transactions, inventory and customer profiles.

Aptos said the enhancements to Aptos One are set to significantly impact the retail industry by addressing critical barriers such as outdated systems and fragmented customer experiences. By providing a more cohesive, data-informed and responsive platform, Aptos is well-positioned to help retailers navigate the complexities of modern retail environments — offering solutions that are both innovative and practical.

Here, FN offers a preview of what the tech providers are showcasing at the event.

Next-Gen Innovations for the Supply Chain

The company 7thonline is bringing technology solutions to the market to bridge sales forecasting and supply chain execution. The company said these “next-generation” innovations will address these key questions: How much inventory needs to be purchased? What resources and raw materials are required for production? How can supply chain operations align more efficiently with demand forecasts?

The rollout of the solutions is backed by more than 25 years of upstream planning, the company said, adding that in that time, 7thonline has broadened its focus to address production demand planning.

The company said by blurring the lines between wholesale, direct-to-consumer, and digital operations, “7thonline empowers businesses of all sizes, from small retailers to multinational enterprises, to optimize inventory flow and maximize profitability.”

The company said its next-generation approach integrates demand and supply data, “enabling corporate offices to gain real-time visibility into inventory movements across all locations and ensuring a smooth transition into supply chain planning.” The launch of these solutions comes at a time when retailers and brands are managing a more complex business that stretches across multiple channels and consumer touchpoints.

Max Ma, chief executive officer of 7thonline, said, “Retail operations have historically operated in silos, with limited communication between supply and demand teams. We’re breaking down those barriers. Our enhanced platform fosters collaboration between departments, streamlining processes, and ensuring that inventory decisions align with real-time business needs.”

The benefits of the company’s solutions include offering brands and retailers forecasting horizons, which allows demand planning teams to forecast further out, which reduces production bottlenecks. The platform also better integrates upstream and downstream processes. “7thonline’s platform not only handles upstream planning with precision but now seamlessly connects to downstream operations, solving problems across the inventory lifecycle,” the company said.

Improving Communications

Multimedia Plus is unveiling the latest feature for its platform, Incite Posts, at the National Retail Federation’s “Big Show” next week in New York. Incite Posts is designed to “transform communication” across retail organizations, the company said.

The company said the feature “empowers managers at every level, including store, district and regional, to create engaging, social media-style content tailored to their teams.” Incite Posts meets a demand in the market where retailers and brands focus on improving communication across all levels of their business to not only improve engagement but also create a more vibrant company culture.

“With rising demand for intuitive, real-time tools that resonate with frontline associates, Incite Posts leverages the power of social media-style interaction to connect teams seamlessly,” Multimedia Plus said in a statement.

“As retail evolves, effective and engaging communication is no longer a ‘nice to have’ — it’s essential,” said David Harouche, chief executive officer and founder of Multimedia Plus. “With Incite Posts, managers can share updates, celebrate achievements, and keep teams informed with visually rich, targeted content, creating a level of connection and alignment that traditional methods can’t achieve.”

Multimedia Plus said with Incite Posts, managers at all levels “can create customized posts to engage their specific teams while maintaining alignment with corporate messaging.” The company said managers can use Incite Posts to share images, videos and updates “in a dynamic, easy-to-digest format — perfect for visual merchandising updates, product launches, and employee recognition.”

Since Incite Posts lives on the platform, communications are streamlined and trackable, and aligned with organizational goals, Multimedia Plus said, adding that the feature “allows messaging to scale seamlessly across large retail footprints, connecting thousands of associates with consistent, impactful content.”

“Retailers can no longer rely on outdated communication systems to connect with modern, mobile-first associates,” Harouche said. “Incite Posts bridges that gap, delivering the speed, simplicity and engagement retail teams expect.”

Offering Greater Personalization

As part of its goal of offering intelligent, personalized post-purchase experiences for shoppers, Narvar is rolling out two new features: IRIS (Intelligent Retail Insights Service) and Narvar Assist.

Narvar said IRIS is a layer of intelligent technologies that include machine learning, data intelligence and analytics that is “combined with industry domain experience and fueled by more than 42 billion consumer interactions across the Narvar customer base.”

The company said its dataset is second only to Amazon, and cements the company’s “position as the leader in intelligent, personalized post-purchase experiences. As the first entrant to the post-purchase category, Narvar is now redefining it with AI.”

Narvar Assist is powered by IRIS and is designed to offer “delivery claims fraud prevention software that provides scalable, data-driven tools to reduce fraud, automate claims management, and enhance customer satisfaction, addressing a $103 billion problem for retailers,” Narvar said.

For retailers, the expected outcomes of these new features aims to anticipate the behavior of shoppers while optimizing operations and creating what Narvar calls “hyper personalized experiences” to drive loyalty as well as sustainable revenue growth.

Aside from boosting loyalty, the platform identifies and addressing high-risk behaviors while adapting to emerging patterns, Narvar said, adding that it also streamlines operations via predictive insights that “unlock profitable growth.”

Ram Ravichandran, chief technology officer of Narvar, described IRIS as a transformative leap for the company, “combining advanced machine learning and multimodel AI to deliver insights at unmatched scale. By processing billions of interactions, IRIS powers unprecedented personalization and helps retailers tackle challenges like fraud prevention and operational inefficiencies.”

A Chill on Spending?

As 2025 unfolds, consumers have money on their minds and it will impact how they shop, according to the latest consumer research from First Insight, which is showcasing its solutions at the NRF show. The survey also revealed the growing importance of AI to create more tailored and relevant shopping experiences to lure in shoppers.

In a survey of more than 1,100 U.S. consumers, researchers at First Insight found that 57 percent of those polled said they are worried about a recession, with Generation X leading the way at 65 percent. As a result, 31 percent of respondents said they plan to prioritize essentials such as groceries and rent while 52 percent of consumers said that rising costs, including tariffs, “will significantly impact their purchasing behavior.”

Subsequently, 62 percent of consumers polled rank price as the leading factor in their shopping decisions. But that sentiment varies among generational cohorts. “Younger generations (Gen Z: 56 percent, Millennials: 55 percent) are less price-driven than Boomers (71 percent) and Gen X (68 percent),” the report’s authors said, adding that 25 percent of those polled said they “plan to reduce the number of items they purchase in response to rising costs.”

“This generational disparity suggests companies must balance affordability with other value propositions to appeal to younger consumers,” First Insight said in the report.

“In 2025, companies face a balancing act,” said Greg Petro, chief executive officer of First Insight. “As consumers grapple with an uncertain economic outlook, they are demanding lower prices while still expecting smarter, more personalized experiences. Companies that embrace AI to deliver affordability alongside tailored solutions will not only navigate this challenging landscape but will also seize the opportunity to foster loyalty, drive growth, and stay ahead of the competition.”

Regarding the use of AI, First Insight found that 40 percent of consumers polled said they have interacted with AI-driven tools such as chatbots (56 percent) and personalized recommendations (47 percent). The results showed that 75 percent of AI users “say these technologies enhance their purchase experience,” the report’s authors said, also noting that challenges persist in engaging younger consumers. “While 79 percent of Gen X and 78 percent of Millennials report satisfaction with AI, Gen Z trails at just 63 percent, revealing opportunities to better align AI tools with younger consumers’ expectations,” the report stated.

First Insight said the survey underscores a pivotal moment “for companies as consumers demand both affordability and innovative, personalized experiences,” and noted that retailers and brands that can seamlessly blend value with AI-driven insights.

The two brands collectively operate about 300 retail locations under each nameplate along with two e-commerce sites. The footwear brands fully merged last year.

Terms of the partnership were not disclosed, but Impact Analytics said the retail brands will implement its MondaySmart solution.

“MondaySmart provides AI-native business intelligence for retail executives, allowing them to make data-driven decisions by leveraging proactive insights,” the company said, noting that PittaRosso and Scarpe&Scarpe executives “will use this solution to provide strategic insights into how to grow sales and profitability.”

“With a combined portfolio of nearly 300 stores, it is critical that we optimize our clusters to ensure that we meet our customers’ high expectations,” said Valentina Labate, head of merchandise planning and allocation at PittaRosso and Scarpe&Scarpe. “Partnering with Impact Analytics will help us harness the power of our data and their AI and GenAI to position us for future growth.”

Impact Analytics said its generative AI solutions are unique in the industry. “MondaySmart is an automated intelligent reporting system that maximizes the potential of users by automating repetitive calculations and consolidating data,” the company said. “It leverages machine learning to identify patterns to give business leaders a competitive edge.”

MondaySmart essentially identifies the causes of deviations in a business while also offering intelligent insights on how best to address any issues. “It helps retailers analyze the effectiveness of promotions and provides high-impact insight generation, giving visibility across geographies, customer segments, and merchandising hierarchies,” the company said.

Prashant Agrawal, founder and chief executive officer of Impact Analytics, said the company is honored to support PittaRosso and Scarpe&Scarpe, “and help improve their operational efficiency with our cutting edge Gen AI tool, MondaySmart. As a category, footwear can be very challenging to stock properly regardless of whether that’s in-store or online.”

Agrawal said for more than a decade, the company has empowered retailers “to proactively address their business challenges with our AI-native solutions. MondaySmart’s GenAI empowers retail executives to harness the power within their data to enhance productivity and make smarter business decisions that improve profitability.”

Mizuno partnered with BigCommerce because it was aiming to future-proof its business “by employing an innovative composable commerce approach with a customized tech stack while still delivering a significant cost reduction,” the companies said in a joint statement. Mizuno’s new site includes integrations with Deck Commerce for order management functions and Bolt Commerce for checkout. Mira Commerce was the lead on the construction of the site.

Casey Rodriguez, direct-to-consumer manager at Mizuno USA, said the brand’s go-to-market (GTM) strategies have shifted in recent years. “We really needed to make sure that those new objectives aligned with our infrastructure,” Rodriguez said. “Modernizing our e-commerce platform has enabled Mizuno USA to enhance our customer experience, respond more effectively to market demands, and support ongoing growth and innovation in the competitive global athletic apparel market. We’ve already seen an increase in average order value by 12 percent.”

Switching to BigCommerce enabled improvements in three key areas for Mizuno USA.

The new site offers greater flexibility. BigCommerce said that adopting a composable commerce framework ensures Mizuno “that technology services and custom functionality can be updated and replaced with minimal risk to the overall system.” In addition, accessing a continually expanding app marketplace “has allowed for quick, low-cost experimentation with adding new features and services that prove to help growth,” the company said.

Mizuno’s site also allows for real-time product availability. BigCommerce said moving from scheduled updates to real-time product availability improve the accuracy of product listings. And by streamlining the path-to-purchase process and integrating Bolt Commerce’s one-click checkout has reduced the time for customers to complete the checkout process by 90 percent,” BigCommerce said.

“The thing that sticks out most for me is how we streamlined our checkout process,” Rodriguez said. “Implementing Bolt and offering a basically seamless checkout experience to our customers has been a game changer for us.”

Mizuno’s marketing team said it has experienced a 40 percent decrease in time to deploy site content and marketing campaigns, thereby “creating more operational capacity without the need to increase operational expenses,” the company said.

The brand noted that its previous e-commerce stack had limited core functionality “and a closed architecture that required significant investment to integrate third-party services and add new features. The absence of an active app marketplace further made it difficult to add new functionality to their site to keep pace with competitors and meet customer expectations.” It was also costly and time-consuming to run.

Al Williams, general manager of B2C at BigCommerce, said, “With an eye on the future and scalability, Mizuno USA took an innovative composable approach to their digital architecture that will deliver flexibility and agility to keep up with the needs of their customer no matter how the business needs to shift. Working with our great partners at Mira Commerce and leveraging our open platform, Mizuno USA now has a beautiful site that delivers engaging customer experiences and improved performance that scales for the future.”

Mira Commerce said it was able to quickly design and develop custom apps using Amazon Web Services (AWS). The company said custom apps and microservices provided new site functionality for the Mizuno site, “as well as processes that enabled real-time and near real-time data flows between Mizuno USA’s legacy backend systems and other core digital commerce systems and third-party services.”

Sergei Ostapenko, chief executive officer of Mira Commerce, said Mizuno was using “a monolithic legacy solution that was heavily customized over the years, and that made innovation challenging. It limited the ability to experiment, try new things, or run necessary campaigns. They needed a tech stack that balanced form, function and performance, and BigCommerce’s composable solution was the perfect fit.”

Listrak Presents at UPS Virtual Event

The UPS “Future Proof Your Business” virtual event was a hit with small business owners.  The intiative was done in partnership with New York Urban League Small Business Solutions Center and included a presentation from Listrak, which has been a member of the UPS Digital Connections program since 2015.

Listrak’s session, titled, “Are You Tricking or Treating Your Business — Future Proof Your Business” was presented by Erin Grogan, director of strategic partnerships at Listrak, who was revenue strategy manager at UPS prior to joining Listrak.

Grogan discussed the importance of partnership as well as the essentials of email/SMS marketing for any business. She also presented key points from Listrak’s holiday trends report and discussed how they can be leveraged this holiday season.

Grogan also reviewed key shipping dates and how businesses can use them to create touchpoints with their clients via their email/SMS and social strategy. She also gave an overview of the resources available on Listrak’s holiday resource guide/center as well as other free resources to help support entrepreneurs and small businesses.

“They provided tools that made me feel like becoming a successful entrepreneur is actually attainable,” said entrepreneur Jamela Mack. “They pointed out many of the details, such as freight services, that many new business owners may not think of. I’m grateful for the information and will incorporate some of it into my business plan.”

It’s Time to be Clear About Returns

Fresh consumer research from Reshop and Narvar revealed the need for options clarity in the post-purchase shopping experience.

The survey found that 58 of shoppers expect their refund “within a day of requesting a return, however, the reality is that most refunds take days or even weeks to process,” said a spokesperson. While some shoppers don’t realize how long it can take, “69 percent of people say they’ve had to contact a retailer about the status of their refund after making a return,” the spokesperson said.

The report, titled, “The Importance of Post-Purchase Choice This Holiday Season,” was done to reveal key insights on how to leverage flexible return and refund options to drive conversion and customer loyalty. Seventy-five percent of respondents consumers say that faster refunds makes them more likely to shop again with a retailer or brand.

The survey also found that 82 percent of shoppers polled said having multiple return options makes them more likely to make an online purchase during the holidays. “This underscores the heightened importance of flexibility and choice during the holidays, where offering a variety of return options can significantly influence purchasing decisions,” the report’s authors said.

“And it’s not just returns overall where consumers are demanding choice,” the report noted. “Having options in how they get their refund back when making a return matters to their buying decisions, as well.” The research found that 78 percent of shoppers polled “say it’s valuable to have the ability to choose between receiving a refund, store credit, or an exchange when returning a product this holiday.”

Why offer flexibility? Because it can pay off in the long run. The report’s authors said beyond the initial purchase, providing customers with choices “during their return experience significantly enhances their overall brand experience, influencing their decision to shop again. This, in turn, helps build the elusive long-term loyalty that retailers strive for.”

In Other Narvar News…

Narvar has announced the return of Jim Emerich as its chief financial officer. Emerich initially worked with Narvar in an informal advisory role following the company’s Series A funding round, helping lay the foundation for its early financial structure and growth.

Emerich took a brief hiatus to deepen his AI experience, and now he’s back to spearhead Narvar’s financial strategy and operations.”

Emerich reports directly to Anisa Kumar, Narvar’s recently announced CEO. Kumar said Emerich’s “extensive experience and deep connection to Narvar make him the perfect choice to lead our financial strategy as we enter our next phase of growth. His return comes at a critical time as we continue to innovate and scale our business globally.”

In a statement, Narvar said Emerich has more than three decades of experience “leveraging his financial and business expertise to scale technology companies through organic growth, mergers and acquisitions, and IPOs. His track record of delivering predictable financial performance and his sharp focus on compliance make him a valuable asset to Narvar’s leadership team.”

Emerich said Narvar’s vision “for transforming the post-purchase experience, combined with its commitment to innovation powered by AI and data, presents a compelling opportunity. I look forward to helping the company scale sustainably while delivering unmatched value to Narvar’s retail partners and their customers.”

More Executive News

WorkJam said it is strengthening its sales leadership team by promoting Will Eadie, who has served as the company’s chief revenue officer since 2020, to the company’s chief strategy officer.

Adobe and SAP sales veteran Jerry Short will become CRO the company said. Both executives will report directly to WorkJam CEO Steven Kramer.

“Will has been critical to our rapid growth, and his extensive knowledge of the frontline workforce dynamics our customers in multiple industries navigate daily is unparalleled in our organization,” said Kramer. The CEO added that Short is a great addition the company.

As CSO, Eadie will be overseeing near-and long-term corporate strategy and development, strategic alliances, and go-to-market strategy. He will working closely with the marketing, product and customer success teams, the company said.

Eadie said WorkJam is uniquely committed to helping solve customers’ workforce challenges through digital innovation and, ultimately, to empowering frontline workers across industries and geographies each day.”

Eye on the Prize: Focusing on Customers

In NuOrder’s latest consumer and retail research report, the customer, and winning their loyalty, is top of mind of for industry executives who are also reacting to changes to the market — such as a shift in focus to physical stores. However, executives are also fixated on the bottom line.

NuOrder’s 2024 “Decoding Department Stores: Research & Insights” report found that maximizing profitability “remains the top business priority for department stores, and they are 95 percent heavily investing in customer loyalty initiatives and inventory risk reduction to drive success,” the report’s authors said, adding that retailer’s greatest challenges “are keeping up with the changing consumer landscape and effectively improving the customer experience. Retail professionals agree that the customer is top of mind for any major business decision.”

Michael Ganci, GM of NuOrder by Lightspeed told WWD in a recent report about the survey results that there’s been a lot of back-and-forth “about the merits of online versus brick-and-mortar and direct-to-consumer versus wholesale or marketplaces. It can get noisy and confusing.”

“The data is loud and clear: these channels are not mutually exclusive: online and physical shopping are equally important,” Ganci explained. “Retailers continue to maintain a strong presence in e-commerce (91 percent) and physical stores (80 percent), and their planned expansion is focused primarily on new storefronts (62 percent) and online marketplaces (40 percent).”

Ganci went on to say that retailers’ strength “lies in their ability to gather and use customer data, a crucial component often overlooked in discussions of the ‘retail apocalypse.’ While they have the potential to succeed in today’s volatile market, outdated back-end systems pose significant challenges. However, with the integration of advanced technology, particularly AI, we are confident that retailers can overcome these hurdles and achieve long-term profitability.”

Being proactive instead of reactive as well as having hyper-curated assortments may hold the key to success in this new retail landscape. Ashley Collins, retail client director at NuOrder by Lightspeed, said regarding the shift to physical stores, that the company is seeing our clients, “like Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, opening locations to make it even easier for their customers to shop with them locally.”

“For example, Bloomingdale’s is opening smaller concept stores called Bloomies, and Nordstrom is opening more Rack locations,” Collins said in the report. “Hyper-curated stores will continue to be the strategy for some time to come.”

Via a new partnership, Steve Madden will utilize Hilos’ 3D printing and generative design technology to condense its shoe development process for certain new products. This will allow the brand to create and deliver shoes in as little as 72 hours and will help avoid overproduction by starting its creation process only once an order is placed. The brand announced the partnership Tuesday during a session at TechCrunch Disrupt.

“Steve Madden has always been about speed, but that’s increasingly come at odds with becoming a more sustainable company,” Steve Madden’s chief sustainability officer Gregg Meyer said in a statement. “This Hilos partnership is revolutionary for us because we can produce faster, make less, but sell more. This is just the start of something big for both of us.”

Founded in 2019, Hilos creates and ships a 3D printed shoe to a customer within 72 hours of an order placement. This responsive model allows the company to avoid excess production — and the 3D printing system helps avoid manufacturing waste that is common in the months-long cycle it typically takes to produce a pair of shoes overseas. Hilos, which stands for Human Innovation Lab Operating System, lets humans design their own shoe sketches on its platform but uses AI to accelerate the process.

Hilos began testing its solution with its own concept footwear line that launched in May 2021 with an open-toe chunky heel called the Georgia. Since then, the technology captured the attention of other sustainably-minded brands looking to utilize the system in their own network. In October 2021, Hilos partnered with shoe brand Helm to launch a line powered by this technology. The Steve Madden partnership will be similar, but specific branding and messaging for the line is still in development. The products will be available for purchase in Steve Madden’s DTC channels.

Hilos recently closed a $5 million funding round in 2023 to fuel product creation and partnerships with other brands. The funding round included investors such as former Nike chief operating officer Eric Sprunk, Nike’s retired VP of global footwear sourcing and manufacturing Greg Bui, XRC Labs, Better Ventures and Builders VC and brought the company’s total funding to $7 million.

DailyPay has teamed up with WorkJam to deliver “financial wellness and flexibility” to employees. WorkJam said by embedding DailyPay’s EWA (earned wage access) solution into its platform, employers “will be able to leverage DailyPay’s award-winning platform to strengthen their relationships with employees, boosting satisfaction and reducing turnover.”

EWA is also known as early pay, on-demand pay and instant pay. It is a financial service that allows workers to access a part of their earned wages before their regular payday.

Stacy Greiner, chief executive officer of DailyPay, said the partnership with WorkJam “speaks to our commitment to empowering daily workers with the tools that enable them to be great at their jobs. Our employer-sponsored earned wage access solution is a win-win for both workers and employers, who are consistently challenged with retaining top talent.”

Greiner said research from the Hanover Group revealed that 95 percent of companies offering as EWA solution “believe it has a positive impact on employee retention.”

“Partnering with DailyPay is a natural extension of WorkJam’s mission to empower frontline workers with the tools and flexibility they need to succeed,” said Steve Kramer, CEO of WorkJam. “By integrating DailyPay’s earned wage access solution into our platform, we’re not only enhancing the employee experience but also enabling businesses to drive greater engagement and retention. This collaboration will help companies create a more connected, motivated workforce while simplifying how employees manage their earnings and time.”

Making Multi-channel Selling, Easier

ChannelEngine, the marketplace integration and operation software provider, said its platform is now available on the SAP Store, which is the online marketplace for SAP and partner solutions.

SAP said the new integration with its SAP Order Management Foundation (OMF) “not only enables efficient order and inventory management for marketplace selling but also leverages advanced AI capabilities to optimize multichannel operations.

Heather Hershey, research director of Worldwide Digital Commerce at IDC, said integrating order management systems with marketplace platforms “is critical to maintaining agility in an increasingly fragmented e-commerce environment. By aligning inventory management and marketplace connectivity, businesses can expand their global reach while streamlining operations, ultimately enhancing their ability to scale efficiently.”

SAP also said the integration also includes SAP OMS, which allows customers to synchronize inventory automatically, receive incoming orders, update shipments, and manage cancellations across 950 marketplaces, social commerce and other third-party sales channels. The integration makes it easier to manage multiple online sales channels. More integration is on the way.

“Looking ahead, ChannelEngine is set to enhance its integration further by supporting SAP Order Management Sourcing Availability (OMSA). SAP OMSA, also part of SAP OMS, will enable sellers to provide real-time stock visibility data, improving inventory accuracy and availability across marketplaces,” SAP said in a statement. “AI-Driven Business Optimization ChannelEngine’s AI-powered tools streamline the complex task of category and content mapping between the SAP Cloud Platform companies’ taxonomy and marketplace taxonomies.”

As a result, AI-enabled automation makes life easier because it removes much of the manual labor — which speeds up time-to-market. And this allows retailers and brands to focus on reaching new marketplaces and selling opportunities.

SAP also said ChannelEngine is also looking at the potential integration with SAP Omnichannel Pricing Promotion Service (OPPS). “This would allow sellers to seamlessly transfer and manage pricing and promotion data, keeping their offerings competitive across multiple channels, the company said.

“Our direct integration with SAP OMS enables users to activate new sales channels and reach global markets seamlessly,” said Jorrit Steinz, CEO of ChannelEngine. “By embedding AI-driven automation, we simplify global e-commerce, allowing merchants to capitalize on the built-in trust and reach of leading marketplaces while optimizing their operations at scale.”

Ritu Bhargava, president and chief product officer of SAP Industries & Customer Experience, said with the company’s SAP Order Management Services, integrated seamlessly with ChannelEngine, “customers can now sell everywhere, supercharging their unified commerce strategy. With this partnership, SAP is creating a seamless connection between any order channel and a customer’s supply chain and finance processes.”

Bhargava said SAP firmly believes that its unified commerce approach with ChannelEngine “will help customers optimize the end-to-end global complexity of commerce and unlock profitable growth with incredibly fast time to market with new channel expansions.”

The samples created by Mimaki are sturdy, purpose-built prototypes, featuring up to 10 million different colors and express a variety of textures from the Adobe Substance texture library. From shoelaces to the outer sole, the prototypes help brands get a hyper-realistic mock-up for their next big launch.

Importantly, the realism does not come at the cost of speed. The Mimaki 3DUJ-553 full-color 3D printer can print a full-sized footwear prototype in under one day, making it easy for brands to assess their prototype, make changes and create another 3D model, ultimately saving brands months during the often long design process.

Michael Sickels, 3D specialist of global marketing group at Mimaki Engineering, sat down with Fairchild Studios to explain the process behind printing 3D prototypes, how the company is expediting the typical timeline of designing, the impact of 3D printing beyond just the footwear industry and more.

Fairchild Studio: In your own words, how would you describe Mimaki?

Michael Sickels: The Mimaki Group is a development-driven group of companies that provide integrated services through the development, manufacturing, sales and maintenance of products such as industrial inkjet printers, cutting plotters and inks. Our development history began in 1987 with our first drafting plotter.

In 1996, we debuted our first inkjet printer and now have models applying ink down to 4 picoliters. To put that in perspective, there are 1 trillion picoliters in a liter — the human eye cannot see it.

In 2017, Mimaki took all those colorful years of high-performance inkjet development and brought it to 3D. The 3DUJ-553, an industrial full-color 3D inkjet printer, was born. Although this was our first 3D printer, we were able to leverage our extensive experience with ink jetting to bring unparalleled color and detail expression to 3D printing.

Fairchild Studio: In what ways is Mimaki’s full-color 3D printer an asset to footwear designers and students throughout the design process?

M.S.: Mimaki’s full-color 3D printers add value to the design process in the form of speed, creativity and ease of integration. Having the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 in the design room or design school removes the need to order early, nonfunctional prototypes to be made at a factory. That cuts months from the design process.

The 3DUJ-553 can print in 10 million colors and can print shapes and patterns that are difficult to conventionally produce. Lastly, the 3DUJ-553 can print 3D models made using industry-standard software whether it is Adobe Substance, Rhino, ZBrush, Modo or Autodesk.

No significant changes are required to your current workflow, you are gaining the ability to turn your wonderful, detailed designs into ones you can hold and feel in your hands.

Fairchild Studio: How does the ability to print highly realistic prototypes within a day impact the typical timeline of a footwear design project?

M.S.: Traditionally, footwear designers send tech packs to factories — usually in Asia — to have prototypes made. From order to prototype delivery, it can take easily over a month before a physical prototype is in the hands of a designer for expert appraisal. If there are any major changes, another prototype needs to be ordered, which will eat up more of that already scarce time in the product development cycle.

Imagine this: You install a full-color 3D printer in the design room and rapidly produce the prototypes in-house. The Mimaki 3DUJ-553 can print a visually realistic men’s size 9 shoe in under a day. Footwear designers can then appraise the print, make changes to the 3D model data and then print again. A process that normally takes months can be condensed into a few weeks, with all the magic happening in your own workplace.

Fairchild Studio: How does Mimaki’s integration with industry-standard software like Adobe Substance enhance the functionality and user experience?

M.S.: There are two areas where functionality and the user experience are enhanced. Firstly, full-color printing on the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 is compatible with all the major 3D data formats that include color — .obj, .ply, .wrl and .3mf. A designer can continue using their favorite 3D modeling software. Once the printer is installed and basic printer training is given, designers can begin full-color 3D printing of their designs quickly.

Secondly, the 3DUJ-553 can express your designs in a life-like quality. Not only can the printer express 10 million colors (including clear), but each layer of the model can be printed as thin as 20 micrometers. Imagine slicing your design into 20-micrometer layers from top to bottom, that is how fine the detail can get. Thanks to these features, the denim, mesh, leather or nylon you have on your shoe design will look like the real thing on your physical 3D print.

Adobe Substance, which is gaining wide adoption in the industry, is a great way to capitalize on this. Adobe Substance gives designers access to a library of thousands of realistic materials — even allowing you to scan your own — which can be dragged and dropped onto different parts of the footwear 3D model. The designer can then print the design and assess a visually realistic physical prototype. Imagination is the only limit.

Fairchild Studio: How do the features of the Mimaki 3D printer align with the specific needs of footwear designers looking to enhance creativity and innovation in their design process?

M.S.: Mimaki full-color 3D printing gives footwear designers access to quality rapid prototyping with confidence without the need for major changes to workflow. These benefits enhance creativity.

To illustrate this, imagine a designer thinking: “I haven’t tried this material/style/color before. It might not work but I’d like to see it. With a Mimaki 3DUJ-553, why not give it a try? You can have the life-like prototype in your hand in a day or two. In this way, the convenience and quality factor increase a designer’s creative freedom.

Fairchild Studio: Beyond footwear, how else is the company’s 3D printer able to create valuable prototypes in the merchandise and accessories market?

M.S.: The 3DUJ-553 works well with 3D CAD, CG and 3D scan software. Professionals in various industries have been able to apply our 3D technology to their specialized needs. For example, the color expression and precision of our 3D printers have found a home in the figurine and scale model industries.

Our printers are being used to prototype figure designs and even produce figures or models for sale to end customers. Our printers also work well with 3D scan data. A few companies have been using special 3D scanning equipment to scan people, pets and other memorabilia for full-color printing on the 3DUJ-553. Drones have even been used to scan buildings and towns to create 3D data to be later printed.

In the medical industry, we have some customers using the 3DUJ-553 to print highly detailed and accurate medical models. CT and MRI data can be used in this way. Architectural and construction firms have also shown interest in full-color 3D printing for analysis of designs as well as for use in presentations to customers and communities.

In these ways, a broad range of industries are finding value in our technology and I truly want our full-color 3D printing (and additive manufacturing as a whole) to become common knowledge. I want more people to know that these amazing things are possible today.

Fairchild Studio: How do you see the future of footwear design evolving through innovations and speed of 3D printing and prototyping?

M.S.: 3D modeling is going to increasingly become the way to design footwear. It offers designers so much more convenience and freedom in their creativity. Given that 3D printing goes hand in hand with 3D modeling and that 3D printers have achieved a high level of print quality, it is only natural that there will be increased adoption.

I have been told by several designers that nothing beats having a prototype that you can hold and feel in your hands. Physical prototypes are not going anywhere. 3D modeling and 3D printing will shorten the time from idea to design as well as give designers more flexibility. For these reasons, I believe that 3D is going to continue to revolutionize footwear design going forward.

Mimaki will have a booth at the Formnext convention in Frankfurt, Germany on November 19-22. Everyone is invited to stop by to check out the full-color footwear samples and ask any questions in-person!

For more about Mimaki’s 3D printing technologies, visit mimaki.com. If you have any questions or are interested in Mimaki’s 3D printers, please email inquiry_3d@mimaki.com.

Clarks footwear can be found in more than 100 markets via retail, wholesale, franchise and online too. The company also runs more than 500 full-price and outlet stores in Europe, the U.K. and across North America. But the heritage brand (it’s been making shoes for close to 200 years) realized its worn-out tech stack needed an upgrade.

“In 2022, the brand embarked on a company-wide digital transformation, anchored in MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless) principles and a strategic shift from on-premises to cloud-based infrastructure,” NewStore said in a case study. “A key challenge during this transformation was the outdated point-of-sale (POS) systems, some of which were over 20 years old, severely limiting the brand’s ability to compete in the modern retail environment.”

After an evaluation, Clarks teamed up with NewStore.

In the case study, NewStore said its SaaS solution and microservices-driven architecture, “aligned perfectly with Clarks’ vision for a modernized, future-proof technology stack. Moreover, NewStore’s implementation timeline was specifically tailored to meet Clarks’ aggressive schedule, ensuring a seamless and timely rollout across all channels.” NewStore said it also delivered exceptional value “in terms of total cost of ownership, providing a comprehensive solution that met Clarks’ needs while staying within budget.”

As part of the upgrade, NewStore worked with systems integrator AbsoluteLabs. “With a proven track record of implementing retail technology solutions, AbsoluteLabs played a crucial role in seamlessly connecting the NewStore platform with Clarks’ existing systems,” the company said, noting that the tech provider had “deep expertise in the platform’s capabilities [that] enabled Clarks to establish NewStore as the central source of truth for its retail operations.”

The result now allows Clarks to fully take advantage of omnichannel capabilities, “including store fulfillment, mixed cart processing, endless aisle, buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS) and buy online return in-store (BORIS). This integration has empowered Clarks to offer a unified and efficient shopping experience across all channels, reinforcing its position as a leader in innovative retail,” NewStore said.

“NewStore has been a key partner in our digital transformation journey,” said Simon Clarke, chief information officer at the brand. “The flexibility and interoperability of the platform were major selling points for us because we needed a solution that could modernize our technology and seamlessly connect our systems across all channels. This upgrade has allowed us to provide a consistent and high-quality shopping experience at every touchpoint, and we’re already seeing the added value it brings to our operations.”

Leveraging User-Generated Content

JCPenney is now on Bazaarvoice’s Visual Syndication Network. “The retailer has partnered with Bazaarvoice to collect and distribute visual UGC [user-generated content], including customer photos and videos, on their website’s product display pages,” the tech company said in a statement. “JCPenney is already accepting visual content from 64 brands to drive higher conversions, more time on site, and larger basket sizes.”

Joining the network, extends the retailer’s reach to their target customer. “JCPenney is looking forward to reaching our customers through this extended partnership with the Bazaarvoice Visual Syndication Network. Partnerships like these allow us to reach our customers in more relevant ways and help us connect more authentically with America’s diverse working families,” said Ann Eisenberg, JCPenney’s vice president of e-commerce.

Bazaarvoice said the network allows brands and retailers to seamlessly find visual UGC of their products “on social media, tag products, and request rights to use the photos and videos on their site and at retailers where they sell their products.” The company said the network also allows end-to-end management “of every aspect of content acquisition at scale — , request rights, syndication, and reporting — all within the platform.” All of which results in eye-popping conversion rates.

Doug Straton, chief customer evangelist and retail growth officer at Bazaarvoice, said the platform sees conversion rates “increase by up to 150 percent when shoppers interact with product page images. Seeing how other people just like themselves are using or wearing products helps shoppers more easily visualize the product in their own lives.”