In-store shopping technologies can replicate the ease of online shopping
Standing in a check-out line is the least pleasant part of the shopping experience – and it could become a thing of the past. New technology is allowing shoppers to make in-store purchases with their phones, and a variety of self-checkout pilot projects are already underway at stores in Montreal. Some are as simple as scanning a QR code, and confirming your credit card information.
Prof. Maxime Cohen lands new role
Canada’s largest integrated network of medical clinics is using technological innovation to improve the patient-physician experience, and Bensadoun School of Retail Management Prof. Maxime Cohen will help them do it. ELNA Medical recently announced that Cohen will be their first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer.
Prof. Maxime Cohen to develop AI systems in healthcare
Congratulations to Professor Maxime Cohen, Desautels’ Scale AI Chair in Data Science for Retail, on his recent appointment as ELNA Medical’s inaugural Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer. In his new role, Cohen will leverage AI methodologies to improve health access and outcomes at primary and specialty care clinics across Canada.
Professor Maxime Cohen Launches New Book
Professor Maxime Cohen’s new book, Demand Prediction in Retail – A Practical Guide to Leverage Data and Predictive Analytics, co-authored with Arthur Pentecoste, Paul-Emile Gras and Dr. Renyu Zhang, demystifies how predictive analytics can be used in a retail context.
Desautels professor named top retail influencer in 2022
Congratulations to Professor Maxime Cohen for making Rethink Retail’s list of Top Retail Influencers of 2022 in the academia category. Recognized for his groundbreaking leadership as co-director of McGill’s Retail Innovation Lab, Professor Cohen is making a name for himself at the forefront of retail transformation.
Making investing more transparent
In a new paper, Professor Maxime Cohen and his colleagues push for IPOs to adopt “triggered disclosures” instead of one-size-fits-all disclosures about their operations. Although currently voluntary, mandatory triggered disclosures would maintain company privacy while setting a precedent for greater transparency with investors.
Solving for the economic impact of Airbnb rentals
In a new paper, Professor Maxime Cohen and his colleagues find that rental platforms like Airbnb help increase real estate investment and economic development in the long term. While jurisdictions like New York City have issued city-wide bans on these short-term rentals, primarily due to housing shortages, the researchers recommend establishing guidelines that meet community needs on a more local basis.
Finding solutions for fair, online pricing
With e-commerce here to stay, dynamic pricing algorithms are adjusting what individual consumers pay for their items online using a complex system of price comparisons and purchase histories.
In-store technology is transforming retail spaces
Throughout the pandemic, in-store technologies like price-check kiosks and self-checkout have created a more convenient shopping experience for consumers and provided retailers with greater access to valuable data on shopping habits. But consumers are concerned about privacy, and retailers may not have the necessary resources to purchase and upkeep in-store tech.
How to reform tax opportunity zones
Professor Maxime Cohen joins Boston College’s Dmitry Mitrofanov to weigh in on tax opportunity zones in the U.S. Designed to generate cash flow in lower-income areas, opportunity zone programs have proven useful for both residential and corporate real estate developers. On the other hand, these programs would benefit from clearer metrics and more adaptable protocols for identifying communities in which to invest.
The pace of technological innovation picks up in Canada’s retail sector
The retail innovation lab at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management is redefining the way technology and consumer behaviour impacts the retail experience. Professor Maxime Cohen and Charles de Brabant reflect on the push for a safer, more frictionless experience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
McGill professors create AI-powered tool to monitor supply and demand of essential goods
Desautels professors Maxime Cohen and Warut Khern-am-nuai are the brains behind a new technology that monitors the supply of essential goods at grocery stores.
McGill’s retail innovation lab tests “frictionless store” concept
Under the leadership of co-director Professor Maxime Cohen, McGill’s new retail innovation lab is experimenting with contactless shopping, a rising trend in retail innovation.
By downloading an app, shoppers can use QR codes to unlock store doors and pick up any items they want without having to check out in the store. Cohen joins Global News Morning Montreal to share more.
How retailers can survive Montreal’s shift to red alert
On September 30, 2020, Quebec announced that Montreal’s COVID alert system would be upgraded to red, with various businesses forced to close their doors for an initial 28-day period. If Quebec cannot get cases under control before then, businesses may be hit with extended closures.
Delve: The Retailer’s Post-Pandemic Playbook
Even if the spread of COVID-19 shows signs of slowing down and retail stores begin to reopen, the economic recovery from the shutdown will be long and convincing people to visit brick-and-mortar stores will be a challenge.
