Business Intelligence (BI)

What better place is there for global exposure than the Olympic Games?   At least, that is what Alibaba is counting on now that it struck a deal to become a top sponsor of the Olympic Games through 2028. The sponsorship, which is worth $800 million, pits the brand among giants like Coca Cola Co. and Samsung Electronics Co., according to Bloomberg.  

While the path-to-purchase often starts online, a majority of interactions with a brand's website do not end in conversion.   In fact, 92% of consumers’ initial visit to a brand's website doesn’t lead to a sale, according to “Reimaging Commerce,” a study from Episerver. The study tapped more than 1,100 consumers to learn the importance of relevant and engaging content throughout the purchase journey.  

Nordstrom is realigning and streamlining its top technology positions.    The company said that Dan Little, Nordstrom’s chief information officer, plans to retire next fall. Little joined Nordstrom in 2002, as VP, supply chain strategy. He was named to his current position in 2014.  

Nearly half of retailer leaders will be out of business if they don’t transform themselves digitally.   This is according to “Reinventing Retail: Cisco Reveals How Stores Can Surge Ahead on the Digital Transformation Journey,” a study based on data from 200 retail executives from North and South America and regions of Europe. Companies represent brick-and-mortar retailers, e-commerce, apparel manufacturers, food service and other segments of retail.  

Personalization is at the core of Buckle’s success.    However, engaging customers differently requires a deep understanding of each shopper, and leveraging specific details to foster long-term relationships. Buckle is improving its personalization efforts through a new cloud-based solution designed to create the high-touch, individualized shopping experiences the chain has built its brand on.  

Retail sales weren’t the only thing that rose during the 2016 holiday season.    Fraud attempts increased by 31% during the past holiday season, according to data from ACI Worldwide, which, on the positive side, found the number of overall transactions increased by 16%.   

Customer engagement requires visibility into a shopper’s preferences and path-to-purchase behavior.   By using a cloud-based platform to merge experiences across a customer’s shopping journey, Office Depot Europe will better understand and meet the needs of each individual customer, regardless of where, when, and how they interact with the brand.   

Generation Z grew up online, but that doesn’t mean that’s where they do all their shopping.    Sixty-seven percent of Gen Z — the first “digitally native” group to grow up not knowing a world before cellular phones, smartphones and other digital devices — said they shop in a bricks-and-mortar store most of the time, with another 31% shopping in-store sometimes, in a new survey by IBM and the National Retail Federation.  

Retailers may need a new way to track their Twitter activity.   As of Feb. 3, the social media platform will shut down Twitter Dashboard, a service that enables businesses to track tweets about their brands, monitor keywords, schedule posts, and access analytics, among other functionality, according to TechCrunch.   

Wal-Mart Stores is reportedly losing its top technology executive.    Karenann Terrell will step down as CIO of Wal-Mart on February 24, the Wall Street Journal reported. Terrell has served in the position for nearly five years.     The retailer, which did not say where Terrell is headed, expects to announce new leadership in technology “shortly,” according to the report.