Predictive Analytics

More robust omnichannel capabilities have Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly confident about his company’s ability to execute during the holidays, but his views on overall demand for consumer electronics are another matter.

Best Buy said it expects weak demand for consumer electronics in the fourth quarter and forecast flat same-store sales at domestic locations following a 0.5% third quarter comp increase that was aided by an 18% online increase.

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.

Digital gift cards are less risky than retailers think, and that’s not the only common piece of online fraud “wisdom” that is false.

An analysis of Amazon.com’s holiday pricing for its best-selling items reveals two key strategic trends.

According to research from product intelligence technology provider 360pi, Amazon’s top two price dynamic categories: were best-selling office/school products (55% repriced one day to the next) and best-selling toys/games (45%).

Other categories that saw a high level of price dynamism were electronics and clothing, which are both highly contested gift categories.

Retailers are advised to brace for a higher level of fraud online and across all channels this holiday season.

That’s according to ACI Worldwide, which based its recommendation on new benchmark data from millions of transactions from large global retailers. The company noted that fraud rates by volume have increased by 30%, compared to 2014 as consumers shop with more devices online and card issuers are slower to shut down accounts after fraudulent activity.

With 2016 upon us, most everyone is thinking about the New Year’s resolutions they have in place for the upcoming year. The perennially popular resolutions range from losing weight to getting out of debt.

If you look closely, the resolutions could mirror goals that retailers may want to consider in 2016, especially as it relates to loss prevention (LP).

The holiday promotion season is fast approaching with the arrival of Thanksgiving and Black Friday. From that moment the race is on for customer dollars through to the New Year. We’ve all been through this many times, and it seems like no sooner has one season finished than we are shortly into planning for the next. But what impact are the prices we set having on customer behavior and the profits of retailers?

What if you could target parents based on their specific stage of parenthood, such as expectant or parents of a newborn? According to The Drum, eBay Advertising is rolling out a new tool that will let retailers using its service do just that. [The Drum]