As more states move toward legalization, marijuana is quickly becoming a legitimate and viable industry. From the farms and labs to the countertops and backrooms of dispensaries, the retail industry is in the midst of a rare transition where a lucrative black-market product goes legal and mainstream.

In a world where bricks-and-mortar merchants often struggle to keep up with online retailers, immediate access to information can give a retailer a real competitive advantage. Vivien Bohme, founder and CEO of women’s clothing store chain Bohme Inc., says the up-to-date sales figures her company receives from the Domo information system are critical to growth.

Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, making it difficult to send last-minute gifts since most carriers do not deliver on Sundays. Many retailers will cut off their online Christmas sales early or make shoppers pay extra for expedited shipping, but Roadie’s delivery service offers a third option. Roadie connects people who want something delivered with people already driving that way.

For years, promotional activity in supermarkets was a time-consuming process — at best, producing a limited sales kick; at worst, creating little more than loss leaders. Organic grocery chain Earth Fare is using artificial intelligence software that enables merchandisers to spend less time choosing which items to promote while increasing total sales upwards of 3 percent.

STORES' annual Retail Industry Buying Guide, the retail industry's definitive buying guide, is now available! Take a look at the digital edition of this annual directory, designed to help retailers of all sizes and in all channels find the applications they need to run a successful enterprise.

Boston shoppers can visit Brass Stores’ Style Studio with a few favorite pieces and learn how to mix and match them with Brass Stores’ foundational garments. It’s part of the company’s philosophy: Collect 20-30 pieces that easily can be mixed and matched, and end up with a chic wardrobe for the upwardly mobile woman.

JW Marriott’s Desert Springs hotel is featuring a “DoNut Disturb” package: A 10-pound frosted cake — that looks like a doughnut — is wheeled into the room, along with milkshakes. The cost includes resort credits for other hotel services like golf or spa services.

Most dog owners — whether they’ll admit it or not — talk on behalf of their canines. Maybe they should let the dogs speak for themselves. The Smarty Paws is unleashing those thoughts with new leashes embroidered with sayings such as, “I’m the one in charge” and “Obedience school dropout.”

The digital edition of STORES includes must-read pieces, including the articles featured here. Read the current issue and browse the archives for issues you may have missed.

As the largest external driver of consumer need, weather is more than just a conversation-starter for retailers. In the latest episode of NRF’s Retail Gets Real podcast, the team chats with Planalytics Executive Vice President of Global Services Evan Gold about how weather changes impact holiday-season retail.

As the makeup of the retail business workforce changes, attracting top talent is more important than ever. Data from the U.S. Retail Compensation and Benefits Survey helps retailers grow their businesses and understand the costs and competition for talent.

Many retailers struggle to justify investments in artificial intelligence unless they have a clear strategy. At Shop.org 2017, Oak Labs CEO Healey Cypher spoke with Google Head of Retail Innovation Joyce Lee and Nike Global Director of Project Management and Performance Innovation Jennifer Tvedt about why chatbots and AI-powered messaging may be a worthy investment for retailers.

Amazon’s new Australian marketplace is partnering with Hyperwallet, a global payout platform to digital marketplaces, to provide international sellers with a more seamless payment process.

Tyco Retail Solutions announced that DTLR Inc., a U.S. lifestyle retailer, has selected its ShopperTrak in-store traffic analytics solution to provide shopper behavior insights across all 107 stores in 12 states and Washington, D.C.

OXXO, Mexico’s number one convenience store chain, has entered into a three-year license agreement with Revionics Inc. for Revionics Price Suite with optional analytical services including Key Value Item Analysis, Elasticity Workbench and Store Zone Clustering.

OrderGroove, the leader in relationship commerce, announced its platform for driving repeat purchasing behavior via online and in-store subscription enrollment has been deployed by The Vitamin Shoppe.

CashStar, a market leader in gift card ecommerce solutions for large merchants, announced that Chico’s FAS Inc., a leading specialty retailer whose brands include Chico’s, White House Black Market and Soma, has launched an enhanced consumer gift card ecommerce program powered by CashStar Consumer.

First Insight Inc., a technology company transforming how leading retailers make product investment and pricing decisions, and the Fashion Institute of Technology, a college of the State University of New York, have created the first-ever certification course to educate students on how to leverage predictive analytics in the design and merchandising of new products.

PlumSlice Labs announced that Exhart, a leading wholesaler of home and garden décor to top U.S. retailers, selected PlumSlice’s Product Experience Cloud to centralize and automate its product workflows.

Pottery Barn, a member of the Williams-Sonoma Inc. portfolio of brands, is partnering with Leesa Sleep, a leader in the emerging direct-to-consumer online mattress industry founded with a powerful social mission. Pottery Barn customers can purchase Leesa’s American-made mattresses online at PotteryBarn.com/Leesa, marking Leesa’s growing partnership with Williams-Sonoma Inc. after a successful launch with West Elm.

OrderDynamics and BORN announced a partnership to deliver seamless online commerce experiences to retailers and consumers. BORN is known for creating the visually compelling templates that stimulate online shopping journeys, and the integration with OrderDynamics allows it to offer inventory visibility and fulfillment options to customers in any market or vertical.

12 ReTech Corporation has reached agreement with the Hudson Group, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Dufry, A.G. to begin installing their 12 Technology Suite at the Soybu Boutique located in Dallas’s Love Field airport and at a second unidentified store that is also operated by the Hudson Group.