iRACE Mission
The iRACE (Innovation in Retail & Consumer Experiences) Initiative brings Auburn faculty and students together with industry partners to innovate the retail process and consumer experiences by creating practice-based research, education, and outreach opportunities. The iRACE Initiative pursues wide industry connections, innovative solutions to retail and consumer experience problems through cutting-edge research programs, and leadership in steering the iRACE education.
The current fast-changing, analytics- and technology-driven retail environment necessitates retailers, brand owners, and technology firms to consider research and collaboration with academic institutions more than ever. These collaborative efforts can incubate ideas for future innovations, identify opportunities of process innovations and new markets, and produce a new kind of workforce that is equipped with working knowledge of ever-changing retail technology and the spirit of innovation and inter-disciplinary (or inter-functional) collaboration.