Shoptalk reveals how retailers plan to leverage data

Thousands of retail and technology workers descended on Las Vegas last week for Shoptalk, where they learned that the future of retail is collecting consumer data in-store.

According to the New York Times, the chief executive of Hudson's Bay Co. said that stores would eventually recognize customers as soon as they walk in. FedEx showcased a robot that it thinks could ultimately make same-day deliveries on its own. And the mall operator Macerich described the movable walls and fixtures that it is using to build new stores for online-only brands.

Basically, the future of retail will involve physical stores having the same digital data collection capabilities that have powered the online world.

To read about what other retailers and retail partners are doing about in-store data collecting, click here.