Russia’s tech giant Yandex announced its Amazon Prime-like membership program Yandex.Plus, in addition to its first piece of hardware: the Yandex.Station smart speaker, supported by the company’s smart assistant, Alice. As Yandex gobbles up more of its own domestic market share, what does it mean for foreign tech giants that may want to get a foothold there?  Read More...

How do brick-and-mortar beauty retailers bring in customers in the face of competition from eCommerce retailers? Saks Fifth Avenue thinks the answer is to roll out in-store tech, such as magic mirrors, along with services and event spaces. Saks Fifth Avenue President Marc Metrick explains how he's made his flagship Manhattan location a destination.   Read More...

Though ubiquity is talked up as a goal, for smartphones in the U.S., it has already achieved destination status as 80 percent of American adults use one. But could they be using them better? The data says yes — and that consumers are only just scratching the surface of the digitally enhanced world. However, before digital can live up to its full potential, it has some hills to climb.Read More...