Business Intelligence (BI)

New York -- The NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., has signed an agreement with Wal-Mart Stores to receive and analyze its U.S. point-of-sale data.

 Under the terms of the agreement, NPD will receive sales data from Walmart U.S. stores and the retailer’s Web site. The deal covers a broad range of general merchandise categories, but does not include beauty. 

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM said Wednesday it has completed its acquisition of Emptoris Inc., expanding IBM’s cloud-based analytics offerings that provide supply chain intelligence, or smarter commerce.

“Developing the right procurement strategy and an adaptive supply chain are keys to achieving the business objectives of smarter commerce,” said Craig Hayman, general manager, IBM Industry Solutions. “Together, Emptoris and IBM's integrated solutions will transform how clients manage compliance and mitigate supply risk.”

Little Rock, Ark. -- Dillard’s said Wednesday it has made a strategic investment in e-commerce company Acumen Brands in a move toward enhancing the department store retailer’s website dillards.com, as well as Acumen’s 12 e-commerce sites.

Boston -- A report released Wednesday by Boston Consulting Group said that, while 96% of companies are using Facebook and 83% are using Twitter, few have an overall marketing strategy that incorporates digital and includes clear metrics for success.

The report, Marketing Capabilities for the Digital Age, presents the findings of a BCG survey of marketing executives at 31 major corporations globally and presents an overview of the digital landscape.

By Paul Cook, [email protected]

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu on Tuesday named Michael Moore EVP and chief marketing officer. Moore will lead all of the company’s marketing activities, including overseeing customer and brand strategy, advertising, customer loyalty, and research and analytics.

Moore was named to the top marketing post following this week’s decision by Julie Dexter Berg to leave the company and return to the West Coast.

Albany, N.Y. -- Social media marketing agency Media Logic said Tuesday that 70 new brands have been added to its Retail Social Juice Index, bringing the total number of tracked brands to nearly 700.

The additions, including eBay, DKNY and Zappos, creates a more comprehensive industry index and provide users with a broader competitive set for comparison, according to Media Logic.

New York City -- Retail workforce management solution-provider WorkPlace Systems announced that Rite Aid will use WorkPlace OnLine, a cloud-based Schedule and Attendance Management service, at all Rite Aid stores.