Business Intelligence (BI)

Less than six months into her role as Walmart’s EVP global customer insights, Cindy Davis rocked the retail analytics world this week with news that Walmart would resume sharing sales data with Nielsen.

The development comes as Walmart is looking to do a better job of leveraging shopper insights as a means to grow sales and follows the creation in February of a new global customer insights team led by Davis. She previously served as EVP membership and marketing at Sam’s Club and joined the company in the fall of 2007.

New York City -- A Bloomberg report on Thursday said that consumer confidence stagnated last week, as the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index was minus 43.3 in the period to July 17, the highest since April, compared with minus 43.9 the prior week.

The monthly gauge of the economic outlook improved from a two-year low, according to the report.

Mexico City, Mexico -- DemandTec said Thursday that Latin America’s largest drugstore retailer Farmacias Ahumada S.A. (FASA) has extended its agreement to use DemandTec’s advanced pricing analytics to drive profit and customer loyalty.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples announced the promotion of Christine Putur to chief information officer. In her new role, Putur will have global responsibility for information technology strategy and execution.

Putur joined Staples in 1999, and has since held various leadership roles on the company’s e-commerce, technology strategy, program management and US Retail technology teams. She most recently served as senior VP information systems for the company’s North American Delivery businesses.
 

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples has announced the promotion of Christine Putur to CIO. In her new role, Putur will have global responsibility for information technology strategy and execution. Putur will report to John Mahoney, Staples vice chairman and CFO.

"Chris has demonstrated great leadership at Staples," said Mahoney. "She has deep knowledge of our customers and company with proven ability to align information systems to business goals. Chris will drive the IT organization as an important part of our success in the years to come."

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Borders Group, which had been holding out hope that a buyer would come forward to save the company, said late Monday it will seek court approval Thursday for a liquidation led by Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers Group.

The bookseller said that, with approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York, it could begin shuttering its 399 remaining stores as early as Friday, and it is expected to go out of business for good by the end of September.

Retail site selection is not just a matter of available real estate. It’s an analytical challenge that requires sophisticated statistical modeling and a thorough understanding of the market potential of a location. Devon Wolfe, managing director of Americas Strategy & Analytics, Troy, N.Y.- based Pitney Bowes Business Insight, discusses the Top 10 most common mistakes that seem to repeatedly plague businesses and hinder their success:

1. Assuming you can build a model for all situations

By Daniel Burrus, burrus.com