Restaurant apps are increasingly focusing on marrying data with word-of-mouth recommendation, in efforts to become the go-to offering for diners. One emerging offering, Taste, couples a closed social network with technology that pulls dining transactions from credit cards to build profiles. Co-founder Kevin Vanderwarker explains how these features, among others, help build personalized networks that merge a user’s own data with that of their fellow diners.  Read More...

As retailers fight for survival and dominance in the age of Amazon, the grocery battles appear ready to heat up even hotter. Kroger is working with Microsoft to test out a connected store experience at two of its locations. These are some of the ways the technologies can help shoppers and workers navigate Kroger’s stores more effectively — and how both Amazon and Kroger are competing in a crowded field.  Read More...

Transformations can happen quietly and subtly, a reality that early 2019 is proving with each new day as the world is shifting in notable but not flashy ways. Everything from how and where consumers shop to which devices they feel safe using is suddenly quite different than it was just a year ago. The future is here — but is retail ready?  Read More...