UPDATED 20:34 EDT / JULY 13 2017

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Retailers know they must adopt new tech model or die, says Infor exec

As the shopping experience has moved to the mobile platform, retailers around the globe are confronting a new reality: technology has shifted the balance of power. More often than not, consumers have more information than store personnel these days, knowledgeable about everything from competitor pricing to inventory supply. And that’s forcing many retailers to make a decision.

“Anybody that shops understands that retail is in complete chaos and disorder right now. [Retailers] understand and appreciate that if they don’t adopt, they’re dead,” said Corey Tollefson (pictured), senior vice president and general manager of retail at Infor Inc.

Tollefson stopped by theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio, and answered questions from co-hosts Rebecca Knight (@knightrm) and Dave Vellante (@dvellante) during Inforum 2017 in New York. They discussed Infor’s retail business, the newly-announced Coleman AI platform and potentially positive news out of Europe. (* Disclosure below.)

Amazon acquisition validates strategy

Infor has been working with major retail customers, including Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel, Whole Foods, and DSW for several years. Tollefson told theCUBE that he felt Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods was “validating our strategy two and half years ago” to create a retail team around Infor’s technology model.

“It’s about holding onto that data, that analytics, that science and presenting it in a format that’s an offer to our customer’s customer,” he said.

Tollefson cited the company’s newly announced Coleman AI platform as an important tool that will help retailers gain the necessary insights to remain competitive. “We’re exposing all the data so anything can be accessible by Coleman around our analytics platform,” he stated.

Infor also recently announced that it has expanded operations in London. Asked about prospects for further global business expansion, Tollefson would only say that there have been “recent wins that we’ve had in Europe,” but he did not provide further details.

“There will be more (announcements) to come as well,” he concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Inforum 2017 event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Inforum 2017. Neither Infor Inc. nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE

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