Business Analytics

Verizon is out with its annual cyber security report and while the findings are disturbing the good news is that retailers can thwart many a breach attempt by focusing on a handful of basic attack patterns.

Verizon's "2015 Data Breach Investigations Report," reveals that cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, but many criminals still rely on decades-old techniques such as phishing and hacking. In fact, 70% of cyberattacks use a combination of these techniques and involve a secondary victim which adds complexity to a breach, according to the report.

New York -- Retailers with stores in Denver, San Antonio, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and Dallas might see some strong sales in the months ahead based on a new report, which identifies those cities as the nation’s hottest housing market.

Herndon, Va. - In 2014, ACH (automated clearing house) volume grew to almost 23 billion electronic payments, an increase of almost 5%, or 1 billion transactions, from 2013 volume. According to new statistics released by NACHA — The Electronic Payments Association, a total of more than $40 trillion was transferred via NACHA’s ACH Network in 2014, increasing more than 3% compared to 2013.
 

Retailers with a presence in Denver, San Antonio, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and Dallas should expect strong sales in the months ahead based on a new report which identifies those cities as the nation’s hottest housing market.

Cleveland – Increased gross profit resulting from a slowing pace in the cost of goods sold helped boost net income at The Sherwin-Williams Co. during the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income totaled $131.4 million, up 14% from $115.46 million the same quarter a year earlier.

Net sales grew 3% to $2.45 billion from $2.37 billion, due primarily to higher paint sales volume in the retailer’s Paint Stores and Consumer groups.

Bonn, Germany – An estimated 50 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020 compared to 15 billion today, according to a new trend report from DHL Inc. and Cisco.

Houston – Mattress Firm is partnering with cloud-based customer experience optimization platform InMoment to operate its customer satisfaction program. Mattress Firm will utilize the InMoment Experience Hub to capture customers’ first-hand experiences with the brand.

Plano, Texas – A senior executive at The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. has accidentally disclosed same-store sales growth to date in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Penney said the executive sent an email to an analyst including the information that same-store sales have increased 6% so far in the quarter, ending in May 2015, with the retailer expecting growth to total 3.5%-4.5% for the full quarter.

New York -- Lower gas prices and an increase in the average age of U.S. cars on the road didn’t help Pep Boys’ performance in the fourth quarter, posted a wider loss in the fourth quarter. The auto parts chain had a loss of $26.7 million, compared to a loss of $3.33 million a year earlier. The latest results included a net charge of $12.4 million for write-downs and severance expenses.

Oslo, Norway - Scandinavian multinational supermarket chain Rema 1000 will be leveraging Revionics lifecycle pricing solutions in all product categories across all of its retail stores. Utilizing advanced science and predictive analytics, Rema 1000 will be able to strategically manage pricing and consistently align it with brand image, offer promotions that are compelling and profitable and more accurately forecast and measure key financial metrics.