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The multi-year, three-step project, which started 18 months ago, includes a move to a private cloud, better backend integration between online and brick and mortar stores to support in-store merchandise pickup, and larger in-store networking pipes that could, ultimately, be used to help guide shoppers to in-store deals.

As the East Coast prepared for Superstorm Sandy, the American Red Cross's new cloud platform allowed users in the storm's path to read customized preparedness warnings and shelter information, based on their location, as they checked the organization's homepage. And when Americans reached into their pockets after the storm, a scalable ecommerce platform allowed the organization to handle as many as 75,000 concurrent donations - the most ever. The American Red Cross is merging its 400-500 chapter websites, under a new cloud platform, from Oracle Corp. , that allows the organization to scale up its capacity when a disaster strikes and users are clamoring for preparedness information, Craig Oldham, vice president of digital engagement told CIO Journal. The platform, which the Red Cross began rolling out in August, was already implemented by half its chapters by the time the storm struck. The ability to scale up allowed the Red Cross to handle a peak of more than 500,000 page views per minute, during a NBC telethon to draw donations for the relief effort in early November...

Faced with falling demand for its UGG boots Deckers Outdoor Corp. is preparing to more than double its retail operation and shift away from a strategy that had been predominantly focused on wholesale. To prepare for the rapid expansion, Deckers is rolling out a new IT platform that will allow the company to handle more data associated with more retail stores and better manage inventory levels, Yul Vanek, the company's vice president of information technology, told CIO Journal.

The retailer is betting its loyalty program, which features a mobile wallet inside the Kohl's app, will provide a key competitive advantage for this holiday season and beyond, and help make up for a bleak third quarter... ...Kohl's has redesigned its website and mobile apps, implemented Oracle Corp. systems to handle inventory and pricing, and is testing a new point­of­sale system. It also has rolled out "buy online, pick up in store" options at some stores, and is shipping products from about 800 locations.

Kohl's has redesigned its website and mobile apps, implemented Oracle Corp. systems to handle inventory and pricing, and is testing a new point-of-sale system. It also has rolled out "buy online, pick up in store" options at some stores, and is shipping products from about 800 locations. Eventually, Kohl's may look to integrate its loyalty program with its payments systems. The company has built systems that will take different kinds of payments and integrate with other mobile wallets in the marketplace.

The retailer is betting its loyalty program, which features a mobile wallet inside the Kohl's app, will provide a key competitive advantage for this holiday season and beyond, and help make up for a bleak third quarter.

The retailer is betting its loyalty program, which features a mobile wallet inside the Kohl's app, will provide a key competitive advantage for this holiday season and beyond, and help make up for a bleak third quarter.

Good Morning. Kohl's Corp. views the digital wallet as much more than a payments system. The retailer is betting that its loyalty program, which features a mobile, digital wallet inside the Kohl's app, will provide a key competitive advantage for this holiday season and beyond, and help make up for a bleak third quarter. A pilot program across 300 stores in 2013 and 2014 produced about 10 million enrollees in the loyalty program, CIO Janet Schalk told CIO Journal's Steven Norton. Since launching nationwide in early October, that number has doubled to 20 million. Most technology payments providers solely focus on payments, says Ratnakar Lavu, Kohl's EVP for digital technology. While he doesn't deny the importance of payments, he says "there's really no one who's doing something related to offers or rewards." Kohl's has redesigned its website and mobile apps, implemented Oracle Corp. systems to handle inventory and pricing, and is testing a new point-of-sale system. It also has rolled out "buy online, pick up in store" options at some stores, and is shipping products from about 800 locations. Eventually, Kohl's may look to integrate its loyalty program with its payments systems. The company has built systems that will take different kinds of payments and integrate with other mobile wallets in the marketplace.