Predictive Analytics

Retailers looking to maximize online revenues should utilize one specific digital promotional solution to create a sense of pleasure.

In addition to the requisite comment about expecting the holidays to be highly promotional, Famous Footwear also expects the momentum it saw during back-to-school season to carry over to the fourth quarter.

Famous Footwear’s third quarter same store sales increased 4.4% and total sales increased 4.8% to $456 million, excluding the performance of the divested Shoes.com business, to represent 63% of parent company Caleres total sales of $728.6 million. Caleres is the company formerly known as Brown Shoe Company that changed its name earlier this year.

Retailers looking to maximize online revenues should utilize one specific digital promotional solution to create a sense of pleasure.

A new type of POS malware has been attacking POS systems at U.S. retailers for some time, and has been identified as the holiday shopping season begins.

Imagine you are the general counsel at a retailer involved in sensitive M&A discussions. You receive an email from one of the deal’s outside advisers. He says he needs some information about your company the kind you’ve passed on before. You send it along, and later find that you were victimized in a sophisticated cyber attack aimed at stealing sensitive information.

The need for technology innovation in retail has never been greater, and the proper assets and expertise are not always available in-house.

Retailers who develop their e-commerce environments for mobile phone users appear to be on the right track.

According to the new Q3 Shopping Index from e-commerce platform provider Demandware Inc., tablets now account for only 11% of digital commerce traffic, down 22% from its peak of near 15% in the first quarter of 2014.
Meanwhile, mobile phones account for 41% of digital commerce traffic. Desktops still lead with 48% of traffic, but the only platform showing traffic growth is mobile phone.

The recent KronosWorks 2015 conference was held in Las Vegas, a city built on taking chances. However, increasing automation of workforce management tasks is helping retailers remove the risk from activities such as scheduling, staffing and hiring.

Here are three hot automation trends highlighted at KronosWorks that are helping retailers win the workforce management game.

Hibbett Sports says strong expense control and footwear sales helped the retailer increase earnings in the third quarter.

The Alabama-based sporting goods retailer reported that for the third quarter ended Oct. 31, profit was $18.7 million, or 79 cents a share, up from $16.9 million, or 67 cents, a year earlier. Revenue increased 4.6% to $228.3 million. Same-store sales increased .6%.

Leading mall-based denim retailer The Buckle said its third quarter profits fell after strengthening online sales couldn’t overcome in store weakness.

Profits at the operator of 469 stores, billed as a denim destination, declined to $35.9 million, or 74 cents a share, during the third quarter ended Oct. 31, compared to $40.6 million, or 84 cents a share, during the third quarter the prior year. The profit decline was expected as The Buckle had previously reported that same-store sales had declined 5.2% and total sales had declined 4.1% to $280.2 million.