Data Management

As malware attacks drop, it is becoming clear that cyber-criminals’ weapons of choice are shifting — and retailers need to be ready.   That’s “2017 SonicWall Annual Threat Report,” which is compiled from data collected throughout 2016 by the SonicWall Global Response Intelligence Defense (GRID) Threat Network. This includes daily feeds from more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 200 countries and territories.  

PetSmart has a new strategy to keep its 55,000 employees informed and abreast of key insights.   When the 1,500-store retailer wanted to improving data accessibility across its enterprise, it turned to mobility. The chain began its mobility effort by developing one mobile app in 2010. By leveraging the MicroStrategy 10 mobility platform from long-time partner MicroStrategy, the company now has nearly 20 internal apps that deliver key insights to senior leaders and associates across the enterprise, the company said.   

Identity fraud is at an all-time high, and despite industry efforts, fraudsters continue to rack up victims.   According to the “2017 Identity Fraud Study,” the number of victims increased by 16%, rising to 15.4 million U.S. consumers in the last year — a record high since Javelin Strategy & Research began tracking identity fraud in 2003.   

Fraud, cyber and security incidents escalated in 2016.   That’s according to the “Kroll Annual Global Fraud and Risk Report,” which surveyed executives worldwide across multiple industries and geographies. The study noted that 82% of the respondents experienced a fraud incident in the past year compared to 75% in 2015.  

Nordstrom is realigning and streamlining its top technology positions.    The company said that Dan Little, Nordstrom’s chief information officer, plans to retire next fall. Little joined Nordstrom in 2002, as VP, supply chain strategy. He was named to his current position in 2014.  

Wal-Mart Stores is reportedly losing its top technology executive.    Karenann Terrell will step down as CIO of Wal-Mart on February 24, the Wall Street Journal reported. Terrell has served in the position for nearly five years.     The retailer, which did not say where Terrell is headed, expects to announce new leadership in technology “shortly,” according to the report.      

Eager to take advantage of an increasing amount of customer-specific big data, Sobeys is adding a new analytics platform.    The Canadian grocer has entered into a long-term strategic relationship with IRI, a move that will enable Sobeys to unify all data in a centralized location. By leveraging the IRI Liquid Data technology and its Unify visualization platform, the grocer’s eight retail food formats will be able to integrate and report on transaction, loyalty card, promotional and other data sources.   

Amazon is bolstering end-user cyber-security.   The online giant’s cloud services group quietly acquired cyber security firm harvest.ai, a San Diego-based startup that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze online user behavior, according to TechCrunch.  

We sat down with chief executives and senior managers from 20 retail real estate companies at the ICSC New York National Deal Making show in December, and each and every one had something to say about e-commerce competition. Something, but not the same thing. They fell into two groups.

There were those who said that online retail’s magnitude was greatly overblown. They held that the media over-covered online sellers and placed them on a lofty perch not backed by the facts. They had a point.

BCBG Max Azria Group leveraged analytics when it realized its static “one-size-fits-all” e-commerce site didn’t optimize the overall shopping experience, or allow it to engage with specific omnichannel shoppers.

With a goal of personalizing the digital experience, and integrating its omnichannel journey as a whole, the women’s fashion brand added an analytics tool from Qubit. By embedding the platform’s JavaScript tags within its web pages, the technology transparently records all customer online interactions, pulling information into the cloud for reporting.