Business Intelligence (BI)

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.      

Many grocery retailers are still missing the mark when it comes to meeting a key shopper demand.    Specifically, 81% of shoppers said they are unable to get produce they want in store, online and at discount retailers, yet 91% of grocery retail professionals are confident they are meeting customer expectations of availability.  

Eager to take advantage of an increasing amount of customer-specific big data, Sobeys is adding a new analytics platform.    The Canadian grocer has entered into a long-term strategic relationship with IRI, a move that will enable Sobeys to unify all data in a centralized location. By leveraging the IRI Liquid Data technology and its Unify visualization platform, the grocer’s eight retail food formats will be able to integrate and report on transaction, loyalty card, promotional and other data sources.   

With an eye on customer engagement, 7-Eleven is upgrading its point-of-sale fleet chainwide.   7-Eleven entered into an agreement with NEC, making the technology company its exclusive POS provider. Overall, 8,600 7-Eleven stores throughout the United States and Canada will be outfitted with the TwinPOS G5100, a POS system that also features a sleek, durable customer display to run promotions, share information, and create a personalized shopping experience.  

With so many new beauty products hitting the marketplace, Sephora needs to ensure it is offering the right product mix to its loyal shoppers.   Sephora offers 14,000 products from 200 carefully curated brands. Yet, new cosmetic innovations continue to be introduced on a seemingly daily basis. By adopting a new online platform, Sephora can streamline product discovery and its buying efforts.  

BJ’s Wholesale Club is knee-deep in a company-wide initiative to add processes that allow it to operate more efficiently.   It has taken a major step by partnering with Glory Global Solutions to roll out cash automation solutions across its 200-plus-club chain. As cash still accounts for around 30% of consumer transactions in the U.S., it remains extremely important to retailer margins. However, the process of moving money is complex.   

Amazon is bolstering end-user cyber-security.   The online giant’s cloud services group quietly acquired cyber security firm harvest.ai, a San Diego-based startup that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze online user behavior, according to TechCrunch.