Business Intelligence (BI)

Austin, Texas – Performance marketing solutions provider iProspect has launched "Search-Powered Social, a hosted service that utilizes data captured via paid search through Facebook's Website Custom Audiences offering. This allows marketers to build lookalike audiences on Facebook, which target segments resembling a brand's most loyal consumers.

Aria Systems, a leading innovator in recurring revenue management, has appointed Adeeb Shanaa to VP of products as part of the company's global expansion initiative. Shanaa will report directly to Aria Systems CEO Tom Dibble.

Whirlpool Corporation reaffirmed its full-year guidance following first quarter results.

Net sales in the quarter were $4.4 billion compared to $4.2 billion during the same prior-year period. Excluding the impact of foreign currency in addition to Brazilian (BEFIEX) tax credits, sales increased approximately 6%.

Ottawa, Canada – 360pi has formally launched the 360pi Partner Program. This initiative provides a framework for retail technology providers to leverage 360pi's pricing intelligence in their solutions.

Franklin, Tenn. – China was the fastest-growing country in Asia during 2013 in terms of new POS terminal installed. According to a new report from IHL Group, “Asia/Pacific POS Terminal Study,” China had 12% year-over-year growth in year-over-year POS terminal installations.

The Asia/Pacific region as a whole experienced 6.5% POS terminal growth. Other findings include that uncertainty about foreign ownership of retailers slowed POS growth in India to 8% and that Vietnam was the newest hot market for new POS devices.

The world’s largest social media network reported record first quarter results late Wednesday and CFO David Ebersman used the occasion to announce his departure.

Sales of animal- and pet-related merchandise and winter seasonal items helped push up sales at Tractor Supply Co. in the first quarter ended March 29.

Net sales increased 9% in the quarter to $1.18 billion, up from $1.09 billion in the same quarter last year. Comparable-store sales increased 2.2%.

Net income for the quarter increased 10.9% to $48.8 million, up from $44 million

Greg Sandfort, president and CEO, said the first-quarter results demonstrated an ability to perform during tough weather conditions.

Atlanta - Hooters of America LLC has activated Sparkfly to enhance and streamline the capabilities of its new HootClub loyalty program. Through the relationship with Sparkfly, Hooters will gain the ability to redeem digital promotions at any location, regardless of which POS technology is used.

Paris – Lacoste has selected Manhattan Associates' Enterprise Order Management solution to orchestrate its omni-channel retail operations and facilitate the company's continued growth. With Manhattan's technology, Lacoste intends to deliver a consistent brand and unified shopping experience to its customers.

New York - The eight-day run up to Easter 2014 fell shy of the previous year’s comparable period by 9.3% in traffic and 8.9% in sales. According to data from retail analytics provider RetailNext, there was a 1.2- percentage-point improvement in conversion, which helped generate a sales decline that was less than the traffic decline.