Predictive Analytics

It’s no secret that in order to create great customer experiences and maximize sales, it’s imperative to have a deep understanding of the motivations that drive your customers’ buying behaviors and preferences. This is true across the entire path to purchase — from advertising to point of sale and beyond. So far, this is “motherhood and apple pie” to any marketer.

Product reviews, social media posts and videos are having more of an impact on shoppers than ever before, according to a new survey from Bazaarvoice.

The Bazaarvoice Conversation Index Volume 9 examines how consumers' online and offline shopping behavior is influenced by consumer-generated content (CGC) such as ratings and reviews, questions and answers, photos, videos, and social posts.

Retailers are investing heavily in their supply chains in order to cope with surging e-commerce volumes, but customer experience enhancements must be planned carefully if profitability is to be maintained.

Dallas – The Elephant Bar casual dining chain is herding loyalty members as they approach local stores.

The 29-unit retailer has deployed the Paytronix Geofencing solution to send messages designed to compel visits from members of its rewards program when they are within a set proximity to a restaurant.
In a review of three recent campaigns, Elephant Bar determined that approximately 30% of members visited a restaurant on the day that they received a geofencing message.

Mahwah, N.J. - Ascena Retail Group Inc. has downgraded several aspects of its outlook for fiscal 2015, which ends July 25. Ascena now expects full-year adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations in the range of $365 million to $375 million, and full-year adjusted earnings per diluted share from continuing operations in the range of $0.57 to $0.60, as compared to its prior expectation of $0.70 to $0.75 per share

Washington, D.C. – Despite all the hype surrounding Apple Pay and other digital wallet solutions, so far consumer response to the digital wallet phenomenon has been one big shrug of the shoulders.

Gallup analysis shows that only 13% of U.S. adults with a smartphone have a digital wallet on their device.

San Jose, Calif. – An analysis of June sales by store analytics provider RetailNext served up mixed results.

Although overall sales suffered a year-over-year decline in June 2015, retailers can take solace in the fact the consumers who were shopping spent more money. According to RetailNext’s Retail Performance Pulse report, June experienced a 3.3% year-over-year increase in sales per shopper, one of the strongest performances in any month of 2015 so far.
 

Athens, Ga. -- Say hello to Snagshout, a new website that offers shoppers a discount in exchange for a review.

The site, which launched on Wednesday, offers deep discounts on a wide range of retail products for purchase, use and review. It connects shoppers looking for deals with merchants looking to gain traction with new items on Amazon.  

Chicago – As grocery shoppers’ lives keep getting busier, Ahold’s online grocery delivery service Peapod keeps trying to make shopping easier.

Peapod has completely redesigned its mobile and tablet app, with larger, high-resolution photos and a host of new features designed to streamline and simplify online shopping.

West Coast regional grocer Haggen Food and Pharmacy has a new omnichannel partner to help drive growth.

The retailer has selected Unata to help implement customer loyalty and other initiatives to allow for more personalized marketing across Haggen’s channels including online, mobile and in-store.