Consumer Analytics

An acquaintance recently had an experience at Starbucks that shows the negative impact that not providing a seamless omni-channel customer experience can produce. The fact that Starbucks generally offers a superior customer experience and is a leader in omni-channel commerce and promotions demonstrates that no retailer is immune to slipping up in this crucial aspect of the holistic customer service offering.

How many calories in that iced tea at the counter?

New York -- Tommy Bahama has selected the Hybris commerce platform to improve its omni-channel commerce capabilities. The apparel retailer has seen growth in it online commerce throughout the past few years. Tommy Bahama also offers in-store kiosks, where shoppers can access a commerce channel that enables an "endless aisle" of available products — allowing shoppers to access out-of-stock or online-exclusive items directly in-store.

By Dawn Palmer, Accenture

New York -- Parents shopping for back –to-school goods react positively to ads that focus on sales and deals to maximize their appeal to shoppers, according to SAP Retail, and they react negatively to commercials that only serve as a reminder of the season. Using SAP’s social media analytics software, the company gathered social sentiment around the 2013 back-to-school season, analyzing more than 600,000 conversations across social channels, including Twitter and Facebook.

Armonk, N.Y. – Back-to-school sales may have been stronger than anticipated this year, judging by online sales performance in July and August. According to the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, online sales saw substantial gains from July through the third week in August, fueled by double-digit growth in mobile buying.

Specific findings for online sales activity in each month include:

July

West Chester, Pa. -- QVC promoted Alex Miller to the position of senior VP of digital commerce and Dave Caputo to the position of senior VP of TV production and operations.

Miller will now be responsible for the customer experience across QVC's web, mobile, tablet and social platforms.

Redwood City, Calif. -- Sur La Table is deploying eCommera’s DynamicAction SaaS solution, which provides timely analysis of marketing, merchandising and inventory data, giving Sur La Table actionable insights and recommended business changes to improve omni-channel performance.
 

Kearney, Neb. -- The Buckle’s net income rose 8% in the second quarter on improved sales. The apparel retailer earned $25.1 million for the three months ended Aug. 3, compared to $23.2 million a year ago.

Revenue grew 8%, to $232.5 million from $215.5 million. Online sales rose 5.3%. Same-store increased 3.2%, short of analysts expectations.