Consumer Analytics

Given the origins of Cyber Monday, it should have become irrelevant in the grand scheme of online holiday sales. That’s far from the case though as evidenced by the latest insights from digital measurement firm comScore.

The leading digital measurement firm released data late Tuesday showing Cyber Monday sales increased 18% to more than $1.7 billion to establish a new record for the heaviest online shopping day in history. It was also the second day this season in which online sales surpassed $1 billion which was the case on Black Friday.

Target spent an estimated $28 million on advertising November 3-7, which netted it nearly 12% of retail traffic during Thanksgiving weekend, according to data released this week from Kantar Media Ad Intelligence and Placed.

CodeBroker has developed a marketing tool that enables retailers to securely deliver money savings offers to potential consumers via Facebook, while increasing brand awareness and building customer loyalty.

Created with retailers who are reluctant to leverage Facebook to offer discounts in mind, Smart Coupons for Facebook lets retailers know when an offer is received on Facebook, when it is viewed and when and where it was redeemed — which, according to CodeBroker, provides retailers with a comprehensive picture of the purchase funnel.

Although sales at Express during Thanksgiving week exceeded last year's, results did not meet the company’s expectations and it’s bracing itself for a tough holiday shopping season.

The specialty retail apparel chain operating approximately 630 stores reported net sales of $503 million, an increase of 7% from $468.5 million in the third quarter of 2012. Comparable sales increased 5% versus a decline of 5% in last year's third quarter. E-commerce sales increased 29% to $71.2 million this quarter, above last year's third quarter increase of 21%.

Virtual Piggy has changed the name of its youth payments service to Oink.

The service enables teens to manage — with parental supervision — their allowances online, shop safely and track budgets, thereby teaching them financial management skills. Now called Oink, the service is available online or via mobile, and is 100% free to use. Oink will continue to employ Virtual Piggy’s privacy protection protocols, compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Plano, Texas  -- J. C. Penney said that its same-store sales rose 10.1% for the fiscal month ending November 30, 2013.  The retailer's stock was up 4.6% to $10.57 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday.

San Bruno, Calif. -- Walmart said that Cyber Monday 2013 was the biggest online sales day in its history.

The top-selling items at Walmart.com on Cyber Monday included the following:

San Jose, Calif. -- Retail Next announced today the acquisition of Nearbuy Systems, a provider of location-based Wi-Fi Analytics solutions for retailers. Based in San Mateo, Calif., Nearbuy is the largest provider of in-store opt-in analytics, enabling retailers to enhance one-to-one engagement and personalization strategies.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Domino’s is running a special global Facebook promotion giving customers in 42 countries a 50% discount on menu-priced pizza ordered online. Through Dec. 8, customers can visit their country’s Domino’s Facebook page to see if they can redeem the offer.

Gloucester City, N.J. — Nest International, a leading facility maintenance management firm, has appointed Joni Mayo to the position of VP of sales. Mayo brings 30 years of proven sales, marketing and operations leadership experience. Mayo joins Nest from Sylvania Lighting Services where she led sales in excess of $49 million in 2012.