Consumer Analytics

The largest specialty pet supplies retailer in North America is launching a digital initiative to become more customer-focused — and data-driven.    PetSmart has selected Cognizant’s customer data foundation initiative to utilize master and analytics-driven demographic, behavioral, interactional and transactional data to create custom profiles of pets and "pet parents" who visit PetSmart at its stores, online and through its mobile app.  

That sound of nervous pacing you hear every night at 3 a.m.? It’s America’s retail executives. They’re feeling the pressures of a rapidly evolving sales landscape and trying to figure out how to stay one step ahead — or just keep up.   From demanding consumers who expect a bargain at every turn to new technologies, from an aggressive e-commerce marketplace to a U.S. economy that refuses to kick into gear with any consistency, the challenges retailers are facing demand a shift in thinking and strategy.

Forrester Research has identified the retailers with the most and least satisfactory experience, and a very prominent name scored poorly.  

Available space in strip centers dipped to 11% in the second quarter, the lowest rate for these neighborhood venues since 2008. The reason: omnichannel growth and format experimentation, according to CBRE, which tracked availability across 62 U.S. markets.  

Sequels are rarely better than the original, but the second annual Amazon Prime Day may deserve comparisons to “The Godfather Part II” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”  

It won’t help you find Pikachu, but a new mobile tool from Macy’s will assist shoppers in navigating the store.   The department store retailer is piloting “Macy’s On Call,” a solution that lets in-store customers use their mobile phones to interact with an artificial intelligence (AI) platform powered by IBM Watson. The Satisfi intelligent engagement platform provides the connection between the mobile tool and the Watson platform.  

Consumer goods giant Unilever is paying a reported $1 billion to buy an online retail start-up that has yet to turn to profit.   Unilever PLC announced it is buying Dollar Shave Club, the razor delivery subscription service known for its irreverent brand positioning and viral You Tube videos. Terms of the deal were not announced, but The New York Times and other media outlets reported Unilever is paying $1 billion in cash for the scrappy company, which has yet to turn a profit but expects to do so by yearend.  

Hesitating to offer back-to-school deals could result in significant loss of potential sales.