The Void makes virtual reality a little more real through a series of customizable rooms that add another dimension to gaming.With Oculus Rift virtual-reality headsets ready to ship to the general public early next year, 2016 looks to be the year the technology could really take off. Adding to this prediction is the fact that a Utah man is building a series of seven 60x60-foot rooms in which pl...

As predicted in two previous reports by The Boston Consulting Group, return on equity (ROE) in the capital markets and investment banking (CMIB) industry continued to fall in 2014 from already-low levels. Revenues declined, although costs did not—and leverage constraints increased. Regulation and regionalization made markets even bumpier and more brittle, with quantitative easing exacerbating...

Uber raised a total of more than $2 billion from investors in June and December last year — and is now back for another round. The anonymous messaging start-up Yik Yak collected $73.5 million in three financing rounds in seven months, and Zenefits, a human resources start-up, raised more than $580 million in less than two years, with the latest deal done last week.The pace of technological cha...

In April, U.S. media publishers accounted for 783 million total social actions, with 524 million actions from Facebook, 35 million from Twitter and 224 million from Instagram. The average media publisher saw a 4 percent growth in social engagement compared to March 2015, driven by a 3 percent growth on Twitter and 15 percent growth on Instagram.The Top 10 Social Publishers in April: BuzzFeed Vi...

Self-driving cars may have a long road ahead before winning over mainstream American consumers.According to a Harris Poll survey, charted for us by BI Intelligence, 33% of all US adults indicated they will never consider buying or leasing a self-driving vehicle. The distaste for self-driving cars was even higher among older groups, with 36% of both Generation X (ages 38-49) and Baby Boomers (ag...

Sensor-equipped stockings designed to save diabetics' feet.Even if you're not diabetic, you've probably heard that they need to watch out for problems with their feet. That's because they frequently lack sensation down there, and therefore don't know when it's time to shift their weight in order to relieve pressure on specific areas of their feet. The result can be chronic pressure sores, which...

Presented at superstudio, during the 2015 milan design week, designers at aisin seiki co., ltd. created the ‘imagine new days’ exhibition which proposed the culture of the future and made it a reality. it featured the ‘ILY-A’, a personal mobility device which enhances the company’s automotive manufacturing expertise, and the interactive furniture ‘ILY-I’. developed by furo, the transport...

Starbucks is expanding its already ubiquitous presence in New York with the opening of its first express service outlet in the city’s Financial District. Located at 14 Wall Street across from the New York Stock Exchange, the “espresso shot” store caters to busy executives in the area who pop in to grab a cuppa to go. While normal Starbucks outlets are designed to provide an immersive coffee...

This article—our first in a series on pricing in retail—focuses on key value categories (KVCs) and key value items (KVIs) as a core part of price strategy in today’s digital retail environment.Pricing has long been—and will continue to be—a core capability for retailers. Executives and merchants alike recognize it as one of the key value levers, and, accordingly, retailers have worked to r...