Business Intelligence (BI)

It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as the new senior editor of Chain Store Age, focused on covering all the news, trends and happenings in the constantly changing world of retail IT. Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace with major implications for retail. Emerging technology areas such as mobile, social and cloud are changing the very nature of customer experience, while the explosion of Big Data offers both a major challenge and opportunity for retailers that can successfully harness the immense of volume of information that is now available.

San Antonio, Texas -- A survey by open-cloud company Rackspace Hosting of 1,300 U.S. and U.K. companies revealed that retail in both countries has benefited from cloud computing via IT cost reductions, increased profits, improved disaster recovery and business agility, as well as strengthened out-of-office employee performance.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar is utilizing TAS Unity, a browser-based enterprise market knowledge system designed to aid retail real estate management from Trade Area Systems.

Matthews, N.C. -- Discount retailer Family Dollar is utilizing TAS Unity, a browser-based enterprise market knowledge  system designed to aid retail real estate management from Trade AreaSystems.
 

By Leslie Hand, research director, IDC Retail Insights

Ron Johnson's highly publicized short tenure at J.C. Penney, or JCP, as it was rebranded, will certainly make it into the textbooks and graduate theses on what to do and what not to do when undertaking a significant retail business transformation. The primary failure was not putting customer needs first in what promised to be an excellent long term strategy. Oops — forget the customer in an omni-channel customer strategy?

What a colossal mistake!

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Retail Velocity and SAP Applications have expanded their partnership to develop and launch the Velocity Demand Data Streaming Service, which will integrate data streams from retailers and distributors and show manufacturers the impact consumers have on the supply chain.

Montreal -- Jesta I.S. said Monday that Body Central Corp. has selected Jesta I.S.’ Vision Suite to support its strategy of moving to a complete omni-channel environment.

Body Central will utilize the Vision Suite to power its enterprise with one unified solution, streamlining retail operation processes and providing Body Central with breakdowns on products and simplified strategies via refined business intelligence data.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid has redesigned its website to provide customers with easier access to online pharmacy services and health and wellness information.