Here's my take on the contrasts and similarities of what I saw from across the pond and around the corner.

I managed to fit one Super Session into my schedule at NRF earlier this month--Stephane Bout's discussion of Groupe Casino's approach to precision retailing. As CIO of this innovative global French retailer, and 18th largest grocer worldwide, he oversees his company's multi-year transformational implementation of SAP Retail.

Mr. Bout zeroed in on one of three aspects of Groupe Casino's precision retailing strategy--omnichannel precision marketing. (The other two aspects are targeted assortment and pricing and flexible and agile supply chain management and logistics.)

At Groupe Casino, omnichannel precision marketing means developing and maintaining a consistent, personalized, multi-channel relationship with each customer anywhere and anytime. That means connecting the online and in-store experiences through an iPhone app.