Today’s Top Retail News: AI Takes On New Roles; Accenture, MIT Test Supply Chains

In today’s top retail stories: Retailers are tapping into artificial intelligence in the digital-first economy, Accenture and MIT are teaming up to test supply chain resilience, and Dunkin’ might be taken private in an $8 billion deal with a 20 percent premium.

Shape Shifter: AI Takes on New Roles in Retail

As retailers of all shapes and sizes race to get online to catch the consumer’s digital shift, they will need to move beyond simplicity and into more sophisticated – and personalized – customer experiences. It’s one of the areas where new technologies and data-driven tools like customer behavioral analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and bots will need to factor into the entire commerce value chain.

Accenture, MIT Develop Stress Test for Supply Chain Resilience

To evaluate the financial and operational risks presented by significant market interruptions, disasters or other catastrophic occurrences, Accenture and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are creating a supply chain resilience stress test together.

Dunkin’ Privatization Bid Points to Caffeinated Competition

News that Dunkin’ Brands might be taken private in an $8 billion deal with a 20 percent premium suggests that investors could be seeing value in restaurant and retail chains that are reinventing themselves in the post-COVID era. Dunkin’, the parent firm of some 21,000 Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins locations, confirmed that it has held preliminary talks with Inspire Brands.

Ant Group’s March to the Biggest IPO Shows Power of (Online) Commerce

The pandemic seems to be barely slowing down Ant Group – or mobile finance in China. To that end, Monday (Oct. 26) saw the biggest IPO in history, as Ant took its listing to two exchanges – the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Star Market. All told, the IPO is raising $34.1 billion for a valuation of roughly $310 billion.