The host at the IBM SmarterCommerce summit kicked off the event with a consultant-speak acronym. Geez, I was expecting more from a no-expense-spared event, but at least he didn’t use a Powerpoint slide. I tweeted this message to the conference hashtag and minutes later received a tweet from the host: “I love you, too.” He was tweeting from the front row. Wow! This tells you a great deal about why IBM is launching its new SmarterCommerce platform initiative.

An under reported boom in deploying workforce management (WFM) technologies in retail is occurring, which raises important questions about the current state of IT investing and predictions made through research. Evidence of the boom was first found in the 2011 RIS/Gartner Tech Trends Study, which showed that WFM deployments jumped 10% from levels that were consisten over three years. Now we have confirming data from a just-released report that reinforces the boom and provides insight into why.