By Aileen Ryan, President, RAIN Alliance.

As costs spiral across the retail sector, maintaining profitability is a growing challenge. Organisations are increasingly seeking practical, affordable solutions that enable them to drive operational efficiencies and reduce overhead costs.

As the peak festive sales season approaches, retailers face greater cybersecurity risk during the fourth quarter than any other time of year. Last year the average cost of a data breach jumped up 10% between 2023 and 2024. For retailers the cost has increased beyond the global annual average and sits at an 18% YoY increase ($2.96m).

British Business-to-Business (B2B) companies take on average 32 days to collect, collate and enrich all the necessary data for a new product launch, significantly impacting UK productivity and go-to-market times, according to research conducted by Akeneo, the Product Experience (PX) Company and leading provider of Product Information Management (PIM) solutions.

Jisp, the retail technology company, has marked the three-year anniversary of its Scan & Save app achieving high performance figures. Jisp reports that, since its launch in 2021, Scan & Save has earned retailers almost £6million while shoppers have saved over £2.2million in that time.

The Golden Quarter of retail is approaching. Perfect time for retailers to gather mounds of consumer data. But how to do so compliantly? Two Toronto-based marketing specialists have an answer: Precision Retail, a new venture offering what they believe to be the world's first and only rewards-based post-purchase survey plugin to capture 0PD.

“In an age when your digital privacy can be invaded by several types of software unconsciously, it turns into a vital skill to learn how to protect your PC and your private conversations,” said Thibeau Maerevoet, ProxyScrape CEO.

Paysend and Mastercard have partnered to launch Paysend Libre in Mexico in a move to drive financial inclusion in a region where the majority of the population is still underbanked or unbanked.

GreyOrange Inc. has introduced SoftFence, a virtual shielding technology from its retail software as a service (SaaS) platform, gStore.

Casinos and high-end resorts are constantly challenged to provide a personalized and engaging guest experience while maximizing revenue and operational efficiency.The growing demand for immersive, tailored experiences means that traditional analog video systems are no longer sufficient.

The Co-op Media Network (CMN) is to install 300 new front-of-store digital media screens to turbo-charge its retail media offering, taking the total number of screens to over 9,000 across its store estate.

A global study by Checkout.com, the global digital payments company, highlights the consumer buying behaviour which is powering today’s digital economy. The research, conducted across the UK, US, UAE and China, reveals a number of trends, including the growing spending power of Generation Alpha.

New research by BSI reveals growing public confidence in AI capabilities, with over half (51%) of respondents saying AI could perform some aspects of their job, up from 38% in 2023.

Whilst the survey highlighted some concerns related to deployment, it showed that people are optimistic about AI’s capabilities....

In 2024, the retail landscape has continued to evolve rapidly, with leading retailers adopting the best solutions to increase efficiency and improve customer experience. In recent years, ESLs (Electronic Shelf Labels) have been viewed as the next big thing for accurate price communication and inventory management for retailers.

Datalogic, the global provider of automatic data capture and industrial automation solutions, has announced that the Memor 30/35 has been officially certified as a rugged device under the prestigious Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) program, meeting and surpassing key standards set by Android.

Merchants, payment service providers (PSPs) and third-party providers (TPPs) recognise the potential of Commercial Variable Recurring Payments (CVRP, in the UK) and Dynamic Recurring Payments (DRP, in Europe) to deliver better payment experiences, more choice and lower processing costs. There are real concerns, however, that lack of bank support is impeding their delivery.

By Franklin Carpenter, freelance writer.

The importance of customer data in retail continues to grow, pushing businesses to seek efficient management strategies. Cloud computing has proven to be a powerful resource for tackling customer data challenges, enabling retailers to streamline their processes.

In Russia, the first case of delta plus coronavirus infection was recorded. "This is the only one case, most likely from abroad,” Darya Danilenko, deputy director of the Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza said. This strain was recorded in isolated cases in the United States and Great Britain.

In Russia, as many as 986 people died of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. This is a new record for Russia since the start of the pandemic, the operational headquarters for the fight against the coronavirus infection said on October 14. A day earlier, on October 13, 984 deaths were reported in Russia. The total death toll since the start of the pandemic thus amounts to 220,315 people.  Over the past 24 hours, 31,299 new cases of coronavirus infection were registered in the Russian Federation. This is the largest number of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The total number of positive cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia has thus amounted to 7.892,980. A day earlier (October 13) 28,717 cases of the coronavirus infection were recorded in the country.

Centrers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that the more contagious subvariant BA.2 of omicron strain now makes up 72% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. According to the data, the BA.2 is able to displace all other COVID-19 strains and its subvariants. Ali Mokdad, an epidemiologist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Washington state, estimates that the displacement might happen in the next two weeks. According to different sources, the BA.2 is from 30% to 80% more contagious than the BA.1. A top WHO official, Maria Van Kerkhove, describes BA.2 as the most transmissible version of the virus so far. 

A research group from the George Institute for Global Health in Australia found out that the estrogen levels can be an indicator of a woman's risk of developing dementia. The researchers suggest that some of the reproductive factors (early or late menstruation, early menopause) are a sign of a higher risk of certain neurological problems connected with cognitive and social skills. According to the PloS Medicine journal, pregnancy and abortion are connected with the lower risk of dementia and other neurological problems.

Scientists have made a breakthrough in the field of bioelectronics by successfully injecting gel polymers inside leeches and zebrafish, which organized themselves into functional electrodes.  The study was published in Science journal. It was revealed that when the gel molecules came in contact with enzymes inside an animal's body, they became electrically conductive.  This innovation could lead to better treatments for people with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's and epilepsy by allowing scientists to stimulate areas of the body with an external voltage. Professor Magnus Berggren at the Laboratory for Organic Electronics, LOE, at Linköping University, Sweden, noted that for decades, they have tried to create electronics that mimic biology, but now they let biology create the electronics for them.

Laysan Utyasheva, a famous gymnast, shared the recipe for a miraculous drink that she swears by. She only learned the recipe for this drink at the beginning of 2022, and since then she has been drinking it every morning to wake up quickly. Utyasheva claims that this drink helps her wake up better than five cups of coffee. In an interview on the YouTube show "Daring Cooking," Laysan Utyasheva explained that one morning, when she was going on a desert excursion, she really needed to wake up quickly, but five cups of coffee didn't do the trick. That's when she tried the new drink, which woke her up much better. The recipe for this drink is simple: add a pinch of turmeric, cinnamon, and lemon to warm water. This drink helps reduce swelling and boost immunity. However, Laysan Utyasheva warned that the taste of the drink is not very pleasant, but it is very effective.

Neurologist-vertebrologist and manual therapy specialist, Professor of the UnitelmaSapienza Roman University and the UniCamillus International Medical University, Jalal Saidbegov, explains why sitting cross-legged can have a negative impact on the health of the spine. This position can cause a disruption of the anatomical structures of the intervertebral disc, which can lead to the development of protrusions and hernias in the lumbar region. Even for healthy individuals, this position is not very beneficial, so it should not be abused. However, there are a number of recommendations that can help reduce the risk of negative consequences: If you cannot avoid this position, try not to sit in it for a long time and not use it too often. Try to sit in this position for no more than five minutes, after which switch legs, making the upper leg the lower one, and vice versa. This will help redistribute the load on the spine and reduce its one-sided tension. Never bend forward or twist when sitting in this position, as this can further increase the load on the intervertebral discs. It is better to spend most of the time sitting in a classic and more useful position, leaning back and resting against the back of the chair, without leaving empty space between the lower back and the lower part of the chair back. Your legs should be able to reach the floor freely. If your chair or armchair is too high, you can use a footrest to achieve a comfortable position.

Makaronina.Ru has compiled a list of natural antidepressants, namely indoor plants that have the ability to positively affect a person's emotional state. One such plant is lavender, whose aroma can help alleviate headaches, anxiety, and stress. The plant's essential oils, which are actively released into the air, can also reduce high blood pressure and combat insomnia. Basil is another plant that can have a positive impact on both the cardiovascular system and emotional state, while lemon is effective in combating stress, anxiety, and tension.

UCLA investigators have shown that that combining pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, with standard chemotherapy can improve treatment outcomes for patients with small cell bladder cancer and small cell/neuroendocrine prostate cancer.

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses awarded three AACN Impact Research Grants of up to $50,000 each, bringing its total support to more than $1.5 million in funding since 2011.

Catina Latham, PhD, will succeed Brenda Battle as UChicago Medicine's Senior Vice President for Community Health Transformation and Chief Equity Officer

Scientists have identified a molecule that appears to restore normal breathing in mice following a large dose of fentanyl.

A radioterapia tem sido usada para tratar o cancer desde o inicio do seculo 20. Este tipo de tratamento continua sendo um dos tratamentos mais eficazes para tumores cerebrais cancerigenos (malignos) e nao cancerigenos (benignos). A forma como ele e ministrado -- e a tecnologia utilizada -- continuou evoluindo e melhorando.

These miniature immune system models -- known as human immune organoids -- mimic the real-life environment where immune cells learn to recognize and attack harmful invaders and respond to vaccines. Not only are these organoids powerful new tools for studying and observing immune function in cancer, their use is likely to accelerate vaccine development, better predict disease treatment response for patients, and even speed up clinical trials.

Physicians and investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai will give more than 30 presentations at the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions Nov. 16-18 in Chicago.

Childhood trauma can increase a breast cancer survivor's chance of experiencing more severe and longer-lasting treatment-related anxiety, depression and fatigue, as well as reduced cognitive function, years after cancer treatment has ended, according to a preliminary study led by Jamie Myers, Ph.D., FAAN, research associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Nursing.

Only half of people with early-onset cancers reported discussing fertility preservation options prior to their oncology treatments, according to results of a cross-sectional study published Nov. 12 in JAMA Network Open.

Supporting a loved one as they near the end of their life can be confronting. Palliative care is there to help but such services are not equally accessible to all Australians, particularly those in rural areas.

The use of biologic and targeted therapies for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) surpassed more typical therapies in recent years, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) announced that they have developed an advanced disease diagnosis and treatment system based on nanomaterials.

Over 60 percent of Illinois parents had never asked another parent about an unlocked firearm in their home before allowing their child to visit for a playdate, according to a survey from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago published in Pediatrics. Many parents reported they had not asked about firearms because it never occurred to them to do so, which highlights a critical need to raise awareness of this important safety concern.

A research team has identified 2,586 orphan genes (OGs) in Rosa chinensis, offering new insights into the role of these unique genes in flower development, stress response, and environmental adaptation.

A research team has conducted a comprehensive study on the effects of various sterilization methods on the quality of Aronia melanocarpa juice (AMJ).

People with conditions or habits such as high blood pressure, an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or smoking, not only have a higher risk of stroke, they may also have more severe strokes than people without these risk factors, according to a study published in the November 13, 2024, online issue of Neurology(r), the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Join Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn, for an inspiring talk on Supramolecular and Adaptive Chemistry! This is a unique chance to hear directly from one of the world's most distinguished chemists as he explores how Constitutional Dynamic Chemistry (CDC) leads to adaptive, evolving systems of increasing complexity.

Dr. Neil Johnson, a physics professor at George Washington University, explores unconventional areas within physics, focusing on complex, "taboo" problems not traditionally tackled by physicists, like online hate networks.

The Indian film industry has emerged stronger post COVID-19 with a new focus on modern filmmaking techniques and distribution models, according to experts from the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has reached an exciting milestone in its Centennial Campaign, raising $203 million toward its overall campaign goal of $250 million by 2027. This represents the largest amount ever raised in a UA Little Rock campaign, exceeding the previous campaign by $100 million.