John Harmon, CFA, Associate Director of Technology Research

Access research reports and presentations on the retail and technology ecosystem, including consumers, companies, economies, and retail and technology trends. Use the filters below to find research reports and presentations by sector, theme, company or other parameters. Alternatively, use the search box above to find relevant research content.

Insight Report | December 8, 2023 Premium

Generative AI Latest: Key Announcements from AWS re:Invent 2023

Continuing our Generative AI Latest series, we present recent developments and notable trends in generative AI (artificial intelligence) globally—including the latest tech startup funding, new generative AI features and solutions, and Amazon’s announcements during the AWS re:Invent 2023 conference.

Event Presentation | December 7, 2023 Premium

The Generative AI Playbook: Six Quick Wins Presented at the AI Summit New York 2023

Discover six strategies for brands and retailers to harness the power of generative AI (artificial intelligence). From accelerated product design to personalized digital marketing to enhanced employee productivity, we offer quick wins for retail companies to get ahead with this advanced technology. Read our full presentation from the AI Summit New York 2023.

Insight Report | December 1, 2023 Premium

Five Ways AI Is Being Used in Drugstore Retail

How is AI (artificial intelligence) transforming retail? As part of a five-report series, we present five key applications of AI in the drugstore sector, covering healthcare personalization, demand forecasting, automated prescription filling and more.

Insight Report | November 30, 2023 Premium

Five Ways AI Is Being Used in Apparel and Footwear Retail

How is AI (artificial intelligence) transforming retail? As part of a five-report series, we present five key applications of AI in the apparel and footwear sector, covering design innovation, intelligent production, virtual try-on and more.

Insight Report | November 29, 2023 Premium

Five Ways AI Is Being Used in Beauty Retail

How is AI (artificial intelligence) transforming retail? As part of a five-report series, we present five key applications of AI in the beauty sector, covering regulatory compliance, skin diagnosis, virtual makeup try-on and more.

Insight Report | November 28, 2023 Premium

Five Ways AI Is Being Used in Grocery Retail

How is AI (artificial intelligence) transforming retail? As part of a five-report series, we present five key applications of AI in the grocery sector, covering food-waste reduction, warehouse automation, livestreaming and more.

Insight Report | November 27, 2023 Premium

Five Ways AI Is Being Used in Luxury Retail

How is AI (artificial intelligence) transforming retail? Launching a five-part report series, we present five key applications of AI in the luxury sector, covering generative AI art, customer service applications, anti-counterfeiting measures and more.

Insight Report | November 27, 2023 Premium

Generative AI Latest: OpenAI and Microsoft Accelerate Innovation—Technology Conference Highlights

Continuing our Generative AI Latest series, we present recent developments and notable trends in generative AI (artificial intelligence) globally—including the latest announcements from OpenAI and Microsoft at their recent technology conferences.

Insight Report | November 15, 2023 Premium

October 2023 US Retail Sales: Health and Personal Care Stores and Nonstore Retailers Continue To Lead Retail Sales Growth

In October 2023, US retail sales (excluding gasoline and automobiles) grew 3.1% year over year. Using data from the US Census Bureau, we look at total growth trends and performance by sector.

Insight Report | November 10, 2023 Premium

Generative AI Latest: Strong Potential for Language and Code Translation; Global Telco AI Alliance Fosters AI Collaboration

Continuing our Generative AI Latest series, we present recent developments and notable trends in generative AI (artificial intelligence) globally—including its game-changing potential for code and language translation, and the first development from the Global Telco AI Alliance.

Insight Report | October 24, 2023 Premium

Generative AI Latest: Indemnity for Platform Users; Image-Generation Updates from Adobe and Canva

Continuing our new Generative AI Latest series, we present recent developments and notable trends in generative AI (artificial intelligence) globally—including the latest funding updates, indemnity for platform users and new features from graphic design giants Adobe and Canva.

Insight Report | October 18, 2023 Premium

Generative AI Latest: The Rise of RAG, Updates from Amazon, Meta and Oracle

Continuing our new Generative AI Latest series, we present recent developments and notable trends in generative AI (artificial intelligence) globally—covering the rise of RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) and updates from technology giants Amazon, Meta and Oracle.

Insight Report | October 17, 2023 Premium

September 2023 US Retail Sales: Retail Spending Outpaces Retail Inflation as Consumers Remain Healthy

In September 2023, US retail sales (excluding gasoline and automobiles) grew 2.2% year over year. Using data from the US Census Bureau, we look at total growth trends and performance by sector.

Insight Report | October 11, 2023 Premium

Generative AI Latest: Indian Conglomerates Enter the Space, the US Drives the Responsible Use of AI, Adobe Launches New Products

Our Generative AI Latest series presents recent developments and notable trends in generative AI (artificial intelligence) globally—in this report we cover Indian conglomerates entering the AI race, the growing discussion around the need for responsible AI and the latest updates from Abode and IBM, among other topics.

Event Coverage | October 5, 2023 Premium

Salesforce Dreamforce 2023: Generative AI, Data Cloud and Commerce Cloud

We present insights from Salesforce’s Dreamforce 2023 conference, held in San Francisco, US, on September 12–14. With a focus on generative AI and cloud computing, we discuss the AI (artificial intelligence) revolution, the company’s Einstein 1 Platform, and more.