By Ryan Edwards, freelance writer.

Omnichannel is one of the most effective retail strategies for engaging customers, driving sales, and building lasting relationships. A way to strengthen this game-changing approach is the revolutionary power of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Cleveron, a click-and-collect automation solutions innovator, is proud to launch a modular outdoor parcel locker, Cleveron 355. The newest solution is specially engineered for DIY and home furnishing retailers, enabling the automated handover of extra-large items.

By Jack Pollard, freelance writer.

Retail is one of the most competitive landscapes out there today. Consumption is at an all-time high, but the cost of living crisis means that brands need to fight harder than ever to convince consumers that their products are what they need.

Within the next twelve months, kiosks will be mainstream in the UK quick service restaurants (QSR), fast food and the casual dining market, according to the first UK research into consumer views and hospitality sector plans.

By Ed Smith, freelance journalist

Self-checkouts have proven to be an increasingly popular option for shoppers to take control of their own scanning of items. It can feel a little quicker and allows you to scan then pack your goods at your own pace rather than trying to keep up with a cashier.

Smart Volution is launching a new addition to its Register family of POS solutions at the National Convenience Show at the NEC Birmingham on the 25th to the 27th of April 2022.

The Ergonomic Solutions Group, the designer and manufacturer of technology mounting solutions, has launched the SpacePole Kiosk – described as a multifunctional platform with maximum flexibility for a wide range of self-service applications including self-check-in/check-out, self-ordering, endless aisle, product display & advertising, ticketing, click & collect and many more.

Global financial technology company SumUp has unveiled its Kiosk solution designed to transform how businesses process orders. SumUp’s Kiosk solution is claimed to be able to dramatically improve the speed at which merchants can process orders.

BIXOLON Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of BIXOLON, the global manufacturer of advanced receipt, label and mobile printers, welcomes visitors on stand 4/F80 at LogiMAT 2023 from the 25-27.04.2023, where it will be showcasing its advanced range of printing solutions for the intralogistics market.

Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials EMENA has introduced AD XeroLinr DT, a new FSC-certified and phenol-free direct thermal (DT) linerless solution that drives productivity, reduces waste and advances sustainability.

According to a report from Adroit Market Research, 3D printing powder market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 26.6% between 2021 and 2031.

BIXOLON Europe GmbH, a subsidiary of BIXOLON the global manufacturer of advanced receipt, label and mobile printers, has launched its SRP-330III thermal point-of-sale printer series for all ticketing and receipting operations in the retail, hospitality and transportation sectors, an enhancement of the previous SRP-330II.

The low migration inks market size is projected to be worth US$ 1.4 billion in 2023. The market is likely to surpass US$ 2.8 billion by 2033. It is expected to showcase growth at an impressive CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period.

On 26th June 1974, retail history was made with the scanning of the first-ever linear barcode. It started as a method to help supermarkets facilitate price look-up at the point of sale (POS) and has now become the common standard for commerce the world over, with global specifications managed by the international standards organisation GS1.

Business technology solutions provider Brother UK has launched three new managed print services (MPS) solutions to enhance its support for resellers amid growing demand for print-as-a-service.

This Earth Day, Brother International Europe is celebrating 15 years since first joining forces with the rainforest conservation charity, becoming their longest-serving commercial partner.

Brother UK has been named as a 'leader' in sustainability programs and services in the most recent IDC Sustainability MarketScape assessment.

Business technology solutions provider Brother UK has launched a compact range of mono laser printers for businesses, helping resellers to support customers with downsized offices and decentralised workforces.

Business technology solutions provider Brother UK has upgraded its professional labelling line-up, launching two new devices to help make compliance easier for electricians and network installers.

Epson, the printing technology solutions provider, has introduced its latest breakthrough in the signage printing market, the SC-S9100.

Printing and Labelling Technology Report

RetailTechnologyReview.com spoke with leading analysts, vendors and associations about current developments within the printing and labelling technology marketplace about recent developments and what to look out for over the next year or two.

Philip Jarrett, commercial director, Dakota Integrated Solutions.

With the world of data capture becoming ever more fast-paced and advanced with the advent of the latest and greatest mobile computing and printing devices, the capabilities of which continue to supersede their predecessors, it is sometimes easy to overlook one of the most important elements of any supply chain solution: the label.

After today's drone attack on Tatarstan, a republic within the Russian Federation, the "sanitary zone” that needs to be established for the security of the Russian Federation has grown to 1,200 kilometers and now stretches to Lviv. On April 2, Ukrainian drones attacked several facilities in Tatarstand: Alabuga special economic zone in Yelabuga and the oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk. The head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, said that the technological process of enterprises in the special economic zone (one of which, as follows from open sources, assembles Geran attack drones) was not disrupted. Twelve people — all of them students, were hurt as a result of the attack.

Today, Russia produces almost 8 times more Kh-101 (aka X-101) missiles than before the special military operation, Western media report. In 2021, Russia manufactured 56 Kh-101 missiles and increased their production to 420 pieces in 2023.  Noteworthy, the Kh-101 missile may contain more than fifty different foreign-made parts, despite numerous anti-Russian sanctions. For example, two components of the Russian missile are labeled as "products of Swiss company STMicroelectronics", whereas other parts of the Russian missile including chips from Analog Devices, Texas Instruments and Intel are made in the US.

The Retail Technology Show (RTS), the leading industry event that connects retail’s changemakers and leading tech providers, has announced the shortlist of its 2024 Innovation Awards, which champion progressive, best-in-class technologies and solutions.

Ivalua, a global leader in spend management solutions provider, has been named a Market Leader in the Ardent Partners "2024 Strategic Sourcing Technology Advisor." The report evaluated the 8 vendors Ardent identified as solution and market leaders in the strategic sourcing space, placing Ivalua in the Market Leaders Quadrant based on its solution and provider strength.

At drupa 2024 (Messe Düsseldorf, 28 May – 7 June 2024, Hall 8a), Canon is showcasing its full capabilities as a leading provider of end-to-end digital production print solutions and services. Under the banner of ‘The Power to Move’, Canon is demonstrating how, in collaboration with partners, it works closely with customers to deliver the transformative technologies...

The Top Supply Chain Projects 2024 (formerly known as SDCE 100) profiles innovative application success projects designed to automate, optimise, streamline and improve the supply chain.

Anthropics Technology has announced that its AI-powered fashion virtual try-on, Zyler, has won an award by Retail Systems.

The UK's largest eCommerce and marketing event, eCommerce Expo & Technology for Marketing, will take place on 18-19 September 2024, at ExCeL, London. 

The International Safe Transit Association (ISTA), the industry developer of pre-shipment performance testing standards for packaged products, has announced programming for its annual European Packaging Symposium, which will be held 8-9 October at the Le Méridien Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany.

London is gearing up for one of the most significant events for all things eCommerce. Scheduled for September 18-19, the eCommerce Expo 2024 is set to welcome over 12,000 participants, key industry speakers and more than 300 technology providers.

We Mean Business Coalition’s chief executive officer Maria Mendiluce, Zapmap’s co-founder and chief operating officer Melanie Shufflebotham, and co-leader of the Green Party England and Wales Carla Denyer are among those to have been awarded an inaugural Women in Green Business Award celebrating their work driving the UK's net zero transition.

Building on the theme, ‘Make the impossible, possible’, Manhattan Associates has opened its annual EMEA Exchange event to an audience of more than 300 customers and press, with keynotes that introduced the European market to Manhattan Active Supply Chain Planning and Generative AI solutions; Manhattan Active Maven and Manhattan Assist.

"The right time" for a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin will come soon, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in an interview with ARD. Scholz and Purin last spoke on December 2, 2022. Subsequently, Scholz has repeatedly said that he will speak to the Russian leader only when the "right time" comes. During the interview, journalists asked the chancellor when this "right time" would come. "Soon," Scholz replied, Stern reports.

It has recently been reported that German scientist Reiner Protsch had committed a number of scientific frauds. Protsch apparently could not even operate his own carbon-dating equipment, and routinely made up dates for bones that had been sent to him for dating, often giving recent specimens dates that were much too old.

My thoughts about Jason Rosenhouse's report on a talk about hominid fossils from the creationist Mega Conference

A few months ago I attended a talk by Professor Colin Groves of the Australian National University: 'An update on Homo floresiensis, a.k.a. the "Hobbit"'. As is well known, there has been an unusually bitter scientific debate over the last couple of years as to whether the hobbit is indeed a new species, or just a small microcephalic human. The term 'microcephaly' covers a range of conditions which cause unusually small brain sizes. (Disclaimer: Groves is not a disinterested participant in this debate, having coauthored a paper which argues against the microcephalic interpretation.) Groves went over a long list of unusual features of the hobbit. ...

In 2007, the discovery of fossilized bones from the body (as opposed to the head) of the Dmanisi hominids was announced. These bones show that the Dmanisi hominids were bipedal, but with some primitive characteristics particularly in the upper body. The bones are definitely not those of apes, but they are not quite like those of modern humans either. At the Panda's Thumb, I have responded to articles about these fossils by Casey Luskin of the Discovery Institute, and Answers In Genesis. ...

Added January 10, 2006: A classic and often-referenced 1984 paper by G. Brent Dalrymple. The paper contains short but accurate expositions of radiometric dating methods and discussions of creationist criticisms and attempts to date the Earth as young. It includes material difficult to find elsewhere, such as the discussion of mixing isochrons and the effect of neutron-capture reactions. Dr. Dalrymple is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a winner of the National Medal of Science, a former president of the American Geophysical Union, and the author of The Age of the Earth

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This article covers the evidence which leads cosmologists to believe the Big Bang happened, deals with common objections to the theory, and discusses alternative models and questions that still remain to be answered.

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