Consumer Analytics

In today’s news cycle, it’s become somewhat standard fare to read reports of a significant breach in the retail world. From Target to Neiman Marcus, UPS to eBay and even restaurants like P.F. Chang's and Dairy Queen, 2014 resulted in major retail breaches totaling 100 million credit cards and 313 million personal records. But it’s not just the big names that have targets on their backs; as Verizon’s 2015 Data Breach Investigations Report details: “the attack methods are becoming more varied, even against small businesses.”

King of Prussia, Pa. - Magento, the e-commerce platform provider that is a division of eBay Enterprise, is partnering with New Relic Inc., is releasing an extension for the New Relic Software Analytics Cloud. The extension is designed to provide customers with a deeper understanding of their applications’ performance and customer engagement activities.

New York – Ever wondered what is really going on in the minds and lives of today’s college students? Barnes & Noble College, an operator of campus bookstores with more than 720 stores at college and universities nationwide, is accelerating its market research platform.

Expanded research access is intended to help the company’s partners, including colleges and universities, consumer brands and publishers, better understand the thinking, behaviors and expectations of current and future college students and faculty.

Nike has made over its Seattle flagship with a more contemporary look and technology that help customers select running shoes that are the perfect match for their feet and gait.

A complete revamp has put a new focus on freshness and customer engagement at Strack & Van Til.

Click here to see slideshows of Nike's Seattle location and Strack and Van Til, in Munster, Indiana.

Winston-Salem, N.C. - Lowes Foods, a Carolinas-based grocer with locations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, is feeding consumer appetite for omnichannel experiences. Lowes is working with omnichannel commerce solutions provider Unata to deliver enhanced omnichannel services at its 60 Lowes Foods-To-Go stores.

Quincy, Ill. – In the latest sign that beacons are becoming a mainstream in-store technology, at least one independent grocery chain is rolling them out. County Market, a division of Quincy, Illinois-based Niemann Foods, has implemented the Birdzi platform in all of its stores to provide personalized digital savings and increased customer engagement for its shoppers.

New York – Amazon.com provides a customer value proposition of convenience and the lowest prices. According to new analysis from managed analytics provider Ugam, competitors at least have a chance to beat Amazon on prices of some items.

Ugam conducted assortment intelligence analysis of two key sporting goods categories, identifying gaps in Amazon’s merchandising assortment and confirming that the retail giant doesn’t always have the lowest price on the most sought-after products.
 

Bentonville, Ark. -- In a shift to quality over quantity, Walmart has cut expansion plans for its Neighborhood Market stores despite the format’s consistently strong top line growth in recent years.

Omaha, Neb. – The retail e-commerce landscape just got a little wider. Discount department store retailer Gordmans Inc. is jumping from operating 101 brick-and-mortar stores in 22 states to offering an e-commerce site for consumers across the country.

The online store also offers an extended assortment beyond what's available in-store. This includes broader sizes and styles in the dedicated Levi's shop, MLB, NCAA and NFL sports team apparel and an expanded selection of holiday décor.

Oakland, Calif. – Stores are apparently failing to deliver the goods when it comes to providing customers the products they want, when they want them. New research from supply chain technology provider GT Nexus shows that 75% of U.S. adults have found a product unavailable in a store in the past 12 months.

And 38% of U.S. adults experienced in-store stock-outs often or very often in the past 12 months.