Described as its most important analytics announcement in a decade, IBM has launched a set of cloud-based data analysis tools using its Watson artificial intelligence technology. The company's goal is to make data analytics - and business intelligence based on big data - more accessible to anyone in the enterprise who needs it.

Property developer Wanda Group and Internet giants Baidu and Tencent have unveiled an e-commerce venture in a challenge to industry leader Alibaba Group ahead of its U.S. stock offering.

As a Target "beauty concierge," young Chelsea Mathison prowls the cosmetic aisles at the retailer's Nicollet Mall store, sweetly asking shoppers if they need beauty tips and recommendations. The pixieish clerk seems an unlikely front-line warrior in the Minneapolis-based retailer's effort to embrace showrooming -- where consumers fiddle with products in stores, only to surf their smartphones to see if they can buy the items cheaper somewhere else.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding a test of a new checkout program that allows shoppers to scan items with their smartphones while they're in the aisles and then pay at self-checkout terminals.

The payment point in a retail environment is an under-utilized opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell. It says that both retailers and brands could benefit from considering ways to capitalize upon this crucial step in the consumer journey, as apart from driving sales, it is an excellent moment to increase customer loyalty.

CRM challenges are still a reality in today's market. The question is: How do you overcome them? The bottom line is getting buy-in throughout the organization, from the cubicle worker to the executive suite. How you do that, though, requires an intentional strategy.

Netflix executives John Ciancutti and Todd Yellin are trying to create a video-recommendation system that knows you better than an old friend. It's a critical mission as Netflix faces pressure from its internet video rivals and subscribers still smarting from recent price hikes.