Several Miami-based restaurants and bars are employing a radio frequency identification solution that identifies and weighs liquor bottles, and then transmits that information to a server where it can be linked to point-of-sale (POS) data. In this way, management can know how much of each type of liquor is being poured, how customers are then being charged at the register, and when any discrepancies might occur, such as an over- or under-pour, a missing bottle or unbilled pours.

With all the attention recently being paid to same-day deliveries by retailers including eBay, Walmart, Macy's, Nordstrom and tons of others, here's an interesting stat"”and a delicious contradiction"”from Amazon, the largest and earliest same-day retail deliverer: consumers consider the service, purchase an item, then don't opt to use same-day service.

Irv Grossman, vice president of the Supply Chain Operations Practice of Chainalytics, offers guidance on how companies can stop thinking of reverse logistics as an inevitable burden, and begin approaching it strategically.

No experience happens as often, grabs share of wallet, and stimulates the senses more than grocery shopping, finds PwC US in a new report titled Experience Radar 2013: Lessons from the U.S. Grocery Industry. The study, which is one in a series of customer-centric reports, measures the experiences of about 6,000 U.S. consumers across multiple industries.

'Tis the season for prognostications. Staring into the big data crystal ball one thing seems clear: We can expect to see the continuing growth of the internet; wireless networks; social media; and the number of mobile devices, sensors and other digital technology that is flooding us with new data every minute of every day.