Data Management

Walnut Creek, Calif. -- Retailers appear to be putting in the foundational elements to create a coordinated focus on the customer experience. The percentage of respondents to a new survey from RSR Research reporting that Marketing is the primary owner of customer data internally nearly doubled from 2012 to 2013, from 33% to 61%, and those reporting no explicit owner fell from 33% to 17%.

Veteran information technology executive Joe Zucchero has joined the board of advisors at big data solutions provider Profitect.

Profitect said Zucchero’s expertise in IT operations, cross-organizational implementation, and an understanding of the technology needs of the retail industry aligned perfectly with the company’s suite of solutions.

New York -- Version 3.0 of the PCI Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) and Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) has been published and will become effective on January 1, 2014.

The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), a global forum for the development of payment card security standards, published version 3.0 to its website, but version 2.0 will remain active until Dec. 31 to ensure adequate time for organization to make the transition.

Leiden, Netherlands – Ikea is deploying a standardized, comprehensive and internationally deployed POS software platform from Wincor-Nixdorf. During the next two years, Ikea will install nearly 12,000 POS terminals at 300 stores in 25 countries using Wincor Nixdorf’s TP Application Suite and TP.net software.

One of the biggest benefits omni-channel retailers can offer consumers is ease of finding products. But without a fast, accurate and intuitive site search capability, this benefit quickly becomes theoretical rather than an actual competitive differentiator.

JetPay Payment Services has appointed Jeffry A. Beene as the company’s SVP for risk management. Beene has more than 20 years of experience within the merchant acquiring industry.

JetPay Payment Services is an end-to-end payments processing provider. Along with its sister company, JetPay Payroll Services, the company now offers a complete line of vertically integrated financial services to businesses across the country, including payment processing, payroll and tax filing, human resource management and prepaid card services.

New York -- Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. has implemented Gerber Technology’s YuniquePLM software for its men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel and footwear lines. The vertical retailer is using the product lifecycle management (PLM) solution to ensure its many teams are able to collaborate and communicate optimally to increase speed and efficiency of getting products to market.

Macy’s is poised to have its best digital Christmas ever thanks to a major expansion of ship from store fulfillment capabilities that enable the company to provide an omnichannel experience.

This holiday season, Macy’s will be able to fulfill orders placed online from 500 of its more than 800 stores, a major expansion from last year when ship from store was available at 250 locations.

“The way we view omnichannel is about having stores serve as another fulfillment location,” said Pam Sweeney, Macy’s SVP of logistics systems.

Caty, N.C. – Consumers have somewhat contradictory desires for greater data privacy and for businesses to have detailed insight into their personal needs, and also have seen improvement in how businesses use personal data. According to a new study from analytics technology provider SAS, 71% of 1,260 respondents surveyed said that recent news about government access to personal data increased their privacy concerns.

By Carl Meadows, [email protected]

Retailers always prefer clear skies. But from an operational standpoint, more and more are preparing for cloudy days ahead – via cloud computing.

If a retailer is considering the use of a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet for its data rather than using its own physical servers, just how cloud-ready is it?