IBM and Business Partners Deliver Customer-Focused Innovations and Insights to Retailers at NRF 2007

NRF Annual Convention & EXPO 2007 — IBM (NYSE: IBM) and its comprehensive ecosystem of retail-focused Business Partners demonstrated the latest in customer-centric innovations today at the National Retail Federation (NRF) 96th Annual Convention and Expo. As part of the convention, IBM announced a number of new strategic client engagements, innovative datacenter technologies and insightful reports and surveys focused on consumers buying habits.

The announcements include details on IBM’s work with Sears and Circuit City in the exciting new virtual world of Second Life. Also, on the heels of the 2006 holiday shopping season, IBM released two new pieces of research, which look at consumer buying habits and the strategies retailers need to pursue to take advantage of disruptive changes. IBM also detailed a new client engagement at Kroger which leverages the IBM Store-Integration-Framework. Finally, the company revealed datacenter technologies designed to help retailers improve security, systems management and serviceability.

“IBM has worked with retailers for over 50 years to deliver innovations that have transformed the industry,” said Karen Lowe, General Manager, IBM Retail Industry. “We have a deep understanding of today’s polarized retail marketplace and the sophisticated consumers who inhabit it. IBM, together with our network of nearly 2,000 retail industry Business Partners, creates solutions that deliver value to customer-focused retailers.”

Read the complete Press Release