Retail IT News For VARs — January 2, 2014
In the news, holiday ecommerce fell short of expectations, containerization is getting interest as a strategy for BYOD security, and experts comment on mobility, payment, and Big Data in 2014.
Holiday eCommerce Falls Short Of Expectations
comScore reports that desktop e-commerce spending came in under expectations for the first 52 days of the holiday season. From Nov. 2 to Dec. 23, consumers spent a total of $42.8 billion online, marking a 10 percent increase from last year. However, analysts were expecting a total of $48.1 billion in online spending for the holiday season. Increased promotion and the shorter holiday season are to blame, chairman Gian Fulgoni says. The most spending occurred on Cyber Monday ($1.7 billion), followed by Tuesday, Dec. 3 ($1.41 billion). Coming in third place was Green Monday with $1.40 billion (Dec. 9).
Containerization Is A Focus Of BYOD Security
CIO discusses where mobility is headed in 2014, focusing in particular on the rise of telco network sharing and of the chief mobility officer, and increasing interest in “containerization.” As more and more people bring their devices to work, organizations will turn their focus from securing the whole device to using containers to secure the data-holding apps. With the increasing investments in mobile strategies, chief mobility officers will be in demand to create an enterprise-wide mobility strategy.
Help Your Clients Avoid Mobility “Blunders” In 2014
According CXOtoday.com, there are five big mobility blunders to avoid in 2014 to ensure a successful mobile strategy. With the rising number of mobile devices, companies are failing to create a secure BYOD mobile strategy. In fact, the article highlights the importance of mobile security, considering mobile devices are expected to pose the greatest threat to a company’s security in 2014. Ignoring video communication as a means of business, not focusing on virtualization, and treating mobile as only a CIO’s responsibility are all pitfalls to avoid in 2014.
What Does 2014 Hold For Payments, Commerce?
In a guest post for Forbes, Henry Helgeson, CEO of Merchant Warehouse, has compiled a list of 10 payments and commerce predictions for 2014. Some of these include the growing merchant deployment of POS tablets, ROI from the “overhyped” omni-channel, and more companies looking into in-aisle purchasing technology. Helgeson also expects large payment providers to acquire more mobile payments companies to avoid having to “build from the ground up.” Big-box retailers will be the ones to “lead the charge” into mobile commerce, while companies like MCX will be important ones to watch as mobile commerce becomes more mainstream.
Data Management Will Be Focus In 2014
Information Week has compiled a list of six Big Data predictions from various executives. While Hadoop projects are expected to take a back seat to big data projects, more and more companies will be focused even more on their data management. Automated tools, including pattern matching, simulation, and predictive analytics will become helpful for companies as data volume increases. Not only will Big Data become imperative in 2014, one exec says, cloud solutions will be the answer for companies kept away because of complex technologies.
Retail IT Talking Points
The New York Times elaborates upon the rising number of electronics retailers that are designing or re-designing bricks-and-mortar stores to emphasize “user experience.”
For more news and insights, visit BSMinfo’s Retail IT Tech Center.