Business Intelligence (BI)

Stein Mart is looking to tw telecom, a leading provider of business Ethernet and networking solutions, to help the retailer bolster its Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) service so it can directly connect and securely pass data to its more than 270 stores and data centers nationwide.

Bella Vista, Australia – Australian supermarket chain Woolworths is deploying technology from Galleria to enhance promotional merchandising operations. Woolworths plans to implement Galleria’s Foundation Services (GFS), Promotional Display Optimization (PDO) and Store Operations Workbench (SOW) to help operationalize an enhanced promotional merchandising strategy to improve the customer experience across their enterprise

New York -- Thirty-One Gifts, one of the nation’s largest direct-selling companies, announced the successful go-live of TXT Maple Lake’s integrated retail planning solution. The software is helping Thirty-One Gifts manage the whole spectrum of in-season planning processes, including inventory management and open-to-buy.

Thirty-One Gifts offers an array of lifestyle products, most of which can be personalized.

By Bill Schild

Coinstar is closing in on its one billionth transaction and using the occasion as the basis for a contest to drive engagement on Facebook.

Barneys New York has re-launched a search function for Barneys.com, developed in collaboration with Rich Relevance, as part of its efforts to offer shoppers a customized digital shopping experience.

The upgraded function leverages site-wide customer behavior and merchant intelligence to create a personalized search experience that goes beyond collaborative filtering.

By David Holland, DataSource

Local store marketing, or “neighborhood marketing,” refers to complex and variable distribution based on the needs of individual business locations. Many local marketing campaigns take place in a reactive, disruptive, and last minute environment. These responsive situations provide the greatest opportunity for an emotional connection with the consumer – which is why local store marketing is so important.

Profitect, a leading pattern seeking analytics provider for the retail industry, has added Ahold USA as its latest customer. Profitect is rolled out in Ahold's Giant Landover division.

Ahold USA will leverage Profitect's integrated data to improve its shrink performance by replacing legacy reporting approaches, which require large volumes of information to be interpreted, with automated resolution processes. The Profitect closed loop system creates accountability, the company said, by ensuring employees identify and resolve opportunities impacting the business.

Phoenix -- PetSmart has named Phil Bowman to the position of executive VP of customer experience effective June 30. He will report directly to David Lenhardt, president and chief executive officer of PetSmart.

Bowman has extensive experience in brand-building, digital marketing, ecommerce and customer data analytics, as well as the creation of an integrated customer experience. Most recently, he served as chief marketing officer at TD Ameritrade, one of the world’s largest online securities brokerage companies.

Milan, Italy – Luxottica is rolling out the SAP Fashion Management application. The retailer is implementing the solution with the goal of bringing wholesale and retail operations onto a single, vertical platform sharing the same master data, global inventory and processes.