Business Intelligence (BI)

Retailers expected online sales to hit record levels in 2014 and did they ever.

New all-time highs for e-commerce sales are now expected for the November through December time frame following a strong surge in sales during the final week before Christmas, according to the digital measurement firm comScore.

Sunnyvale, Calif. – Business accelerator Plug and Play Tech Center and Simon Properties are hosting an event, “Silicon Valley Retail CMO Summit 2015,” Feb. 4-6, 2015 at Plug and Play’s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The event is open to chief marketing officers and other digital marketing decision-makers in the retail industry, and features expert speakers, a networking dinner, and an afternoon of themed start-up presentations.  

Normanton, U.K. – U.K.-based discount retailer Poundworld is embarking on an IT overhaul with global retail IT services provider PCMS to support its long-term growth plans. The 10-month project will see Poundworld implement a range of new IT systems to improve customer experience, efficiency and store management.   

Spokane, Wash. - Over half (57%) of retail respondents have an energy/building management system installed, according to an annual survey by energy and sustainability management  company Ecova.  

MINNEAPOLIS — Target chairman and CEO Brian Cornell, who took the helm earlier this year, is making a string of executive changes to help fuel the retailer's digital transformation and enhance the guest experience.  

Every retailer wants to acquire new customers, but apparently not every retailer knows how to draw them in. New data from loyalty intelligence provider Colloquy and sponsored by Chase Merchant Services show that a whopping 60% of retailers admitted they don't have a good process in place for effectively targeting new customers.

In addition, 85% of retailers are in search of ways to add value to their retail offering outside of discounts, promotions and /or loyalty programs.

Cincinnati - The Kroger Co. has been accepted as an “Elite Member” of Energy Star Certification Nation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Kroger was the only grocery retailer granted Elite Member certification status, which was granted to organizations that earned Energy Star certification for at least 150 buildings in 2014.  

Beijing – Baidu, China’s leading search engine, is investing an unspecified amount of money in U.S. online transportation service Uber. Under the terms of the agreement, Baidu will invest in Uber and enable users of Baidu Map and Mobile Baidu, Baidu’s flagship mobile search app, to connect easily with Uber driver-partners.  

Kroger has gotten the ultimate green seal of approval from the EPA.

The federal government has announced that Kroger is the only grocery retailer to be granted elite Energy Star Certification status by the EPA.

"Kroger is committed to reducing our impact on the environment, and our Energy Star certified buildings have delivered energy and cost savings as well as reduce our carbon footprint," said Keith Oliver, Kroger's VP for facility engineering. "We are pleased to help our partners at the EPA celebrate 15 years of Energy Star certifications."

Ann Arbor, Mich. - Domino's Pizza has selected and implemented AMTdirect to manage its corporate real estate portfolio. The cloud platform has allowed Domino's to centralize real estate information and track revenue, sales and expenses across locations.