E-commerce technology

Amazon, Toys R Us and a tale of two technology approaches

Many factors contributed to the collapse of Toys R Us, but did a partnership with Amazon at the turn of the millennium play a part in its eventual demise? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Tesco announces closure of non-food website Tesco Direct

Supermarket giant Tesco has announced it will be closing its Tesco Direct website, which focuses on the sale of non-food-related products Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Social one of the 'most powerful' tools at brand’s disposal, says retail experts

Using social media to connect with customers is one of the most “powerful” tools retailers have at their disposal, said a panel of experts at the Salesforce World Tour Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

A third of people would buy insurance from Google or Amazon

Consumers are increasingly likely to buy insurance from tech giants as the insurtech industry hits the mainstream Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

E-commerce in APAC is thriving, but so is online fraud

E-commerce in Asia-Pacific is booming, with 71% of consumers in the region already shopping online. But so is the risk of fraud, with one in five consumers falling victim, according to new report ... Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

UK tech sector growing 2.6 times faster than overall economy

The latest Tech Nation report on the UK’s IT sector reveals strong growth and positivity, but fears around Brexit in London’s tech engine Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

European cyber attacks up nearly a third in first quarter 2018

The volume of cyber attacks hitting digital transactions in Europe was up by almost a third in the first quarter of 2018 compared with same period a year ago, a report reveals Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Nordic banks plan major digital transformation of operations

Banks in the Nordic region are set to accelerate their spending on technology as digital services take-up accelerates Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

TSB refused help from Lloyds as IT meltdown began

TSB turned down an offer of help from Lloyds Banking Group as the migration of customers accounts to its new banking system went wrong Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Will government IT be ready for Brexit?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as the UK government struggles to get new IT systems up and running before Brexit, we examine the challenges ahead and the departments with the biggest problems. We look at serverless computing and ask why this emerging cloud technology is so important for IT leaders. And we discuss the latest best practice in mobile strategy for SMEs. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Steadily declining retail footfall confirms shifting consumer behaviour

Footfall in the UK highstreet is on the decline, according to figures by the British Retail Consortium, confirming the consumer shift towards more digital behaviour Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Hacking the internet of things just got easier – it’s time to look at your security

Are you taking security for internet-connected devices seriously enough? Continue Reading

By

• Dan Mosca, PA Consulting

If we're measuring GDP wrong in a digital world, what does that say about the economy?

Conventional measures of economic success such as GDP fail to account for the nature of free digital services. How different would the UK economy appear if that changed? Continue Reading

By

• Tim Worstall, Adam Smith Institute

NatWest fintech investments bear fruit as SME loans platform goes live

Online lending platform enables small businesses to apply for loans of up to £150,000 in 10 minutes Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

RBS closes branches after axing challenger bank project

Royal Bank of Scotland to close 162 branches and shed 800 jobs after deciding not to create a challenger bank – but a new digital bank may be on the way Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

SuiteWorld 2018: Magic Johnson gives advice on adapting to the millennial customer

Entrepreneur and former basketball star tells SuiteWorld 2018 about the importance of adapting to the millennial customer in a technology-driven age Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

How machine learning is used to detect fraud

One of machine learning’s most well-known use cases is fraud detection, an area that has drawn the attention of a growing number of technology suppliers looking to develop the best algorithms and ... Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

TSB banking service tech problems continue

TSB customers are still experiencing problems using online and mobile banking services after almost a week of disruption Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

SuiteWorld 2018: Hiring people is about more than just ability, says Rachel Zoe

NetSuite customer, fashion designer and CEO of Rachel Zoe explains that part of entrepreneurship is hiring people who fill the gaps you leave behind, and that in doing so passion can be more important than ability Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

TSB IT meltdown has the makings of an epic

TSB’s very public IT problems will send shivers down the spine of IT teams at large banks that are yet to migrate to new core banking systems Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

What Salesforce's CloudCraze acquisition means for customers

CloudCraze president calls the acquisition by Salesforce 'a huge win' for its customers and for Commerce Cloud customers, with the capability of selling B2C and B2B on one platform. Continue Reading

By

• Jesse Scardina, News Writer

Estonia’s digital residency programme faces first headwind

The Baltic country’s programme to offer anyone, anywhere a chance to run a company online is facing its first crisis Continue Reading

By

• Tarmo Virki

CIO interview: Richard Tallboy, CIO, Wagamama

Richard Tallboy, CIO of pan-Asian restaurant chain Wagamama, explains why the firm adopted “pay by walking out” technology Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Twilio offers IoT developers programmable mobile connectivity

Developers of internet of things applications and devices will be able to use the Twilio Programmable Wireless mobile communications platform to build mobile connectivity into their services Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Fintech sector increasingly attractive compared to traditional banking for IT professionals

Fintech job vacancies are growing, while less are being advertised in traditional banking sector companies Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Tesco online grocery sales up 5.1%

After ninth consecutive quarter of growth, CEO says supermarket chain is “on track to deliver our medium-term ambitions” Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

PayPal is latest tech giant to eye traditional banking

PayPal set to launch launch traditional retail banking services in the first half of this year Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Should retail try to save the high street's declining footfall?

Footfall in the high street is declining, but should retailers be trying to claw back visits to stores or is it time for a new digital focus? Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Retail legacy systems: how can we overcome them?

With technology adoption changing the retail landscape, many retailers are left with legacy systems. We look at how they are dealing with them in today’s digitally led environment Continue Reading

By

• Glynn Davis

Arsenal uses Innovation Lab accelerator to improve worldwide fan experience

Arsenal’s Innovation Lab programme has enabled collaboration with “world-class” startups to offer the best experience for fans in the future, says the club’s IT director Continue Reading

By

• Zach Emmanuel, Computer Weekly

European insurtech growth dwarfs US

Europe is seeing rapid growth in its insurtech as investors pump hundreds of millions into the sector Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Fintechs weigh up their partnership options

Fintechs need to consider what type of companies they should work with to make the most of open banking regulations Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

RBS said to be setting up its own digital bank

Royal Bank of Scotland is reportedly setting up a standalone digital bank to take advantage of changing customer habits Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Danish government launches business-focused national digital strategy

Denmark’s government has launched a plan to get more small businesses into the digital economy as it targets being a leader in advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Dutch cycling culture pumps up bicycle startups

Bike-sharing services are cropping up in urban areas of the Netherlands but the government wants to restrict their number Continue Reading

By

• Tijs Hofmans

Australia, ASEAN deepen links on smart cities and digital trade

Besides fostering smart city development across Southeast Asia, Australia and ASEAN will also support the use of digital trade standards across the region’s booming e-commerce market Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, TechTarget

Digital retail calls for agile approach, say experts

To embrace digital technology, retailers need to adopt an agile nature across the entire business and break down internal silos, said a panel at Retail Week Live Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Tesco appoints new chief technology officer

Supermarket giant’s new CTO joins from Airbus and will continue to implement retailer’s digital transformation programme Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Most people think cryptocurrency will be accepted on buses by 2025

Cryptocurrency is a mystery to many people, yet 55% of respondents to a survey expect shops and buses to accept digital money in seven years’ time Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Retailers need to prepare properly before AI adoption, say experts

Artificial intelligence can help many areas of the retail landscape, but retailers should make sure they prepare before taking on AI adoption, says an expert panel Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Modern retail: machine learning, customer experience and legacy

As the retail landscape shifts in the wake of new technologies, experts in retail and tech explain how firms need to adapt to cater for modern consumers Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Amazon bank could have 70 million customers in five years

Amazon could have more banking customers in the US than the UK has citizens within five years Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Leading brands see the need for personalized content

Content personalization continues to expand within companies as maturing technologies make it a viable marketing option for customer engagement strategies. Continue Reading

By

• Jesse Scardina, News Writer

CW Europe: Germany’s Lemoncat takes catering to the cloud

Business catering startup Lemoncat has taken advantage of the affordable cost of living in Berlin and is shaking up the catering sector by harnessing the Amazon and Salesforce clouds. Also in this issue, read how Moscow’s government is taking advantage of high penetration of broadband and mobile internet to expand innovative services under the Russian capital’s smart city programme, and how organisations in the Netherlands still have much to do to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation. Continue Reading

Denmark’s MobilePay expands in Finnish market through deal with retailer

Deal with Finland’s largest grocery retailer helps mobile payment service spread its reach Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Co-op trials pay-in-aisle technology

Food retailer Co-op plans to introduce a smartphone self-checkout system so customers can pay for goods without visiting a till Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Government sets out tighter security measures for IoT devices

The government has announced plans to develop a new code of practice to improve the security of connected internet of things devices Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Amazon contemplating next move in banking sector

Amazon is in talks with a bank about setting up a current account that will appeal to young people Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Bank of England chief calls for cryptocurrency regulation

Bank of England governor calls on cryptocurrencies to be regulated to protect financial system and reduce illicit activities Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

People at risk of psychological side-effects of screen addiction

Many Brits spend more than 10 hours a day attached to a screen and 60% look at two at once, research shows Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Taxing tech giants on revenue only ends up with us customers paying more

EU proposals to tax internet companies based on sales in each country fail to apply the tax burden on the right people Continue Reading

By

• Tim Worstall, Adam Smith Institute

Virgin Money launches digital bank

Virgin Money is setting up a digital bank to expand into the current account and SME business account markets Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Expert: Boring retail is dying as tech gains importance

Technologies such as augmented reality and AI in retail are becoming more important for brands looking to gain a selling edge. Tune in to the latest Pipeline podcast to learn more. Continue Reading

By

• Jesse Scardina, News Writer

What are the retail jobs that don’t exist yet?

As in many industries, technology and new consumer behaviour is changing the shape of retail. But what yet-to-be-created jobs are on the horizon for the sector? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

RBS’s first profit in a decade accompanied by major first for mobile channel

News of its first profit in 10 years might overshadow a major first for the Royal Bank of Scotland’s mobile channel Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

UK finance regulator collaborates with US counterpart on fintech

The FCA is working with a US finance regulator to support financial technology companies on both sides of the Atlantic Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CIO interview: Mike Thomas, CIO, Hobbycraft

The CIO of Hobbycraft, Mike Thomas, speaks to Computer Weekly about the art of digital transformation in retail, the importance of customer experience and getting a good return on investment Continue Reading

By

• Angelica Mari

Cash will remain in use in Eurozone for a very long time, says central bank

Cash seems set to survive the onslaught of digital payments, at least in countries that use the euro Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic banks plan common cross-border payment infrastructure

Banks in the different Nordic countries plan to move to a shared payments infrastructure Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Quarter of retailers say tech investment makes it harder to connect with consumers

Lack of return on investment in technology has left one in four retailers disappointed and unable to connect with their customers Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Stay of execution for RBS branches and free devices for some customers

RBS is offering free training and devices to some customers in Scotland to help them eventually live without bank branches Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google Q4 results show businesses are buying into its public cloud

The Google Cloud Platform is earning the search engine giant $1bn per quarter. Expect more cloud investment this year Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Faster data is a safer bet for risk exposure

Betting platform service supplier FSB Technology (UK) has used GridGain’s in-memory database to support its existing PostgreSQL transactional system Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

More than half of millennials prefer online retailer info to in-store assistance

Customers between the ages of 25 and 34 would rather look online for information than talk to a shop assistant, even when they are in a store Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Alexa makes children rude

Smart speaker devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are making children ask for things without say "please", research from Childwise has found Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Facebook reports $15.9bn profit after ‘hard’ year

Facebook has reported a strong fourth quarter and a strong year with quarterly profit up 20% and annual profit up 56%, but chief Mark Zuckerberg admits it has been a challenging 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Most online retail sites put customers at risk of phishing

Most top online retail sites fail to protect consumers from phishing attacks, a study has revealed Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Security Editor

Bitcoin is a bubble, but manias can have economic benefits

The UK's railway mania, the tulip bubble, the dot com boom and other collective economic madness – such as bitcoin – might lose people a lot of money, but they often lay down important foundations Continue Reading

By

• Tim Worstall, Adam Smith Institute

Online retail grew less than expected in 2017

IMRG and Capgemini found retail sales grew by 12.1% in 2017, but growth was lower than in the previous year Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CIO interview: Vlassios Rizopoulos, CTO, Pricesearcher.com

CTO of independent online search engine Pricesearcher.com explains how it uses big data and high-performance computing to cater to customers who use price as the deciding factor for their purchase Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Mastercard sets biometric ID deadline for banks

Mastercard has committed to guaranteeing that every one of its customers will have access to biometric authentication services by April 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NRF 2018: Cryptocurrencies “won’t take off”, says Visa executive

Visa’s CEO, Alfred Kelly, told retailers at the 2018 NRF Big Show that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies should be low on their list of priorities Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

IT of world’s banks is moving on from crippling regulation

Banks need to invest more in fintech and IT skills as they emerge from years of stagnation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

NRF 2018: Rent the Runway – focus on data proves use case for clothing rental

Clothing retailers are not traditionally known to rent products to anyone other than celebrities, but retail service Rent the Runway is using data to prove customer demand Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

NRF 2018: Companies should take “lab approach” to innovation, says former GE exec

Organisations should use a lab-type approach to test ideas and drive innovation, according to the former vice-chair of GE, Beth Comstock, speaking at At NRF 2018 Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Business needs to reduce cyber threat to payment card data

Cardholder data is a prime target for cyber criminals, and that is only likely to increase in the coming year, according to a cloud-based secure payments firm Continue Reading

By

• Warwick Ashford, Senior analyst

Abu Dhabi continues fintech agenda in 2018

Abu Dhabi is open to developing its fintech ecosystem, with the next 12 months expected to see more focus on the sector Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

CW Middle East: Technology transforms healthcare delivery in Gulf region

The Gulf’s healthcare sector has witnessed exponential growth in the past two decades, driven by a rapidly growing population and a rise in lifestyle-related diseases. Read how technology is helping the region’s healthcare sector cope with demand. Also in this issue, find out how an initiative at Avaya hopes to use blockchain networks to help make the citizens of Dubai happy, and how the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s smart transformation is progressing. Continue Reading

Marks and Spencer eyes £30m annual cost savings from digital-first retail push

High-street retailer has fleshed out plans to put digital at the heart of its business to boost operational efficiency in response to changing consumer demands Continue Reading

By

• Caroline Donnelly, Senior Editor, UK

Dutch bank tests wearable technology payments

ABN Amro is testing out wearable payment devices with 500 customers as part of a four-month pilot Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Google puts its payment services under one roof

Internet giant is bringing all its payment services under the Google Pay brand, making them “simpler, safer and more consistent” Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Nordic banks face digitisation decisions over PSD2

With the latest version of the EU payment services directive coming into force, traditional Nordic banks can’t afford to slow their digital transformations Continue Reading

By

• Eeva Haaramo

Air New Zealand to trial digital translation technology

Airline becomes one of the first companies to try out a business case for Google's real-time translation technology Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Yoox Net-A-Porter Group appoints first chief data and analytics officer

Online fashion retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter Group has confirmed the appointment of its chief data and analytics officer, a new role for the firm Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Bumps in the road ahead for Nordic cashless societies

Sweden and Norway are global leaders when it comes to reducing the use of cash in the economy – but what about the Nordic region as a whole? Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

Santander UK recruits digital banking expert from Barclays

Santander UK has poached Michael Harte from Barclays to drive digital transformation Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Image recognition system clears cheques in one day

All cheques paid in the UK will be cleared on the next working day once an image-based clearing system is fully rolled out Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Almost 70% of customers willing to use fingerprint biometrics to shop

Consumers are becoming more comfortable using biometrics to pay when shopping, with fingerprint payments proving the most popular biometric identification method Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

How technology is transforming healthcare delivery in Gulf region

IT will transform the healthcare sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries over the coming years Continue Reading

By

• Alicia Buller

Tech entrepreneur aims to take digital skills to refugees

Tech entrepreneur Emma Sinclair hopes to raise £150,000 to run an education programme for displaced young people in a Unicef programme that aims to develop skills that might otherwise be lost Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

How retailers are using technology to remain relevant

From the constant innovation at Asos, Amazon and Missguided to the new supply chain prowess flaunted by Diesel and Gap, fashion retailers are investing in tech to stay relevant to their customers Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Banks across Europe cut thousands of staff and branches as IT replaces them

Banks across Europe cut jobs and close thousands of branches as IT shakes the industry Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Government wants to remain in EU cyber security club after Brexit

The UK government wants to maintain deep links with the European Union’s cyber security working groups following Britain’s exit from the bloc in 2019 Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Millions of customer records compromised in Equifax breach

Major security breach unfolded over a two-month period, and is thought to have affected 143 million customers in the US, as well as an undisclosed number of Britons and Canadians Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Content delivery innovation improves user experience for e-tailer

WorldStores Group, the owner of a number of online home and lifestyle retail brands, has transformed its customer experience with enhanced content delivery capabilities from Instart Logic Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

App-based challenger bank Starling enters next stage of its journey

Thousands of people are downloading Starling’s app every week as the bank builds its customer base Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

CW Nordics: Banks and startups increase collaboration

First they were deemed a threat, now they are potential partners. According to a new report by Nordic accelerator Fintech Mundi, banks are increasingly turning to financial technology (fintech) startups in their hunt for new ideas and market opportunities. Also in this issue, read now Baker Brun, a bakery company in Norway, is modernising its business processes through the latest technologies, and hear how Stockholm’s CIO is relishing the challenge of trying to make the Swedish capital the smartest city in the world. Continue Reading

How banking technology has changed since the crash

In this week’s Computer Weekly, 10 years after the financial crash, we examine how banking technology has changed as a result of the economic crisis. We look at how GDPR, the EU’s new data protection laws, will affect your data storage strategies. And we ask if the cryptocurrency boom will remain a niche pursuit or whether the underlying technologies can bring benefits for enterprise IT. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Most consumers think they are more digitally savvy than some retailers

Consumers are becoming increasingly digital in the way they shop, and a survey shows nearly 60% think they are more digitally innovative than some retailers Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

CIO interview: Daniel Gebler, chief technology officer, Picnic

The Netherlands has the highest supermarket density in the world, yet a technology company has been able to gain market share from the established order Continue Reading

By

• Kim Loohuis