Consumer Analytics

CloudTags, an emerging omnichannel marketing technology company, has partnered with in-store analytics market leader Brickstream to create a comprehensive in-store data platform capable of analyzing physical store intent and behavioral data.

Walmart added to its collection of Silicon Valley acquisitions with the purchase of mobile fashion app Stylr.

Quill Ideas is the name of a new crowdsourcing platform the online division of Staples launched for customers and employees to share ideas in new and interesting ways.

Quill.com, acquired by Staples in 1998, is calling Quill Ideas an online-innovation community that is designed to solicit and implement ideas, review and rank them based on various protocols and then implement those that score the highest. A soft launch that began two weeks ago has already garnered more than 13,000 interactions made up of ideas, votes and comments, according to the company.

Hopkinton, Mass. — Global consumers want the benefits of digital technology but don’t want to trade any of their privacy to obtain it. According to the EMC Privacy Index, a survey of 15,000 consumers in 15 countries by EMC, 91% of consumers value the benefit of "easier access to information and knowledge" that digital technology affords.

London, U.K. — Online grocery shoppers tend to buy fewer impulse purchases online than in store, resulting in smaller basket sizes. A recent survey of 1,154 online grocery shoppers from EDigitalResearch found that 29% of respondents feel that they make far fewer impulse purchases online than in store. 

Scottsdale, Ariz. — P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc. is the latest retailer to investigate a possible data breach.

The retailer emailed has been contacted by banks and law enforcement agencies about online reports that credit card and debit card numbers matching ones used at P.F. Chang’s locations between March and May 2o14 have appeared for sale on underground hacker websites.

Media reports indicate the U.S. Secret Service is also investigating the potential breach, although the Secret Service has not publicly commented.

Indianapolis — In a finding that may not surprise some of their elders, Millennials share complaints online two times more than Gen X and three more than Boomers. “The Social Media Behaviors of Millennials, Gen X & Boomers,” the latest study from consultative social media research firm Fizzilogy firm, also explores the social media habits of these three generations.

Key findings include:
Millennials
•    Millennials live-tweet sporting events at more than twice the rate of both Boomers and Gen Xers.

SAN FRANCISCO — Big Data personalization provider WibiData has launched WibiRetail, a new software platform designed for retailers to rapidly deploy algorithmically-driven personalized shopping experiences. WibiRetail provides intent-aware commerce applications that use in-the-moment data to determine whether a consumer is shopping for herself, a family member or a partner.

Washington, D.C. — Consumer spending rose 0.3% in May, marking four consecutive months of rising U.S. retail sales.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that May results were boosted by strength from the auto sector, which recorded a 1.4% sales increase during the month. U.S. retail sales rose 0.5% in April and 1.5% in March.

A study conducted by DHL e-commerce that compares consumer behavior across 20 markets has created a detailed look into how people shop around the world.

The “Shop the World” survey, which uses data from some 11,000 respondents, shows the growing prominence and earning potential of ecommerce and distance selling operations in different countries.