Predictive Analytics

A lot of attention has been paid to a variety of technologies currently disrupting retail, like beacons and wearable devices. Here are three technologies still in the development phase that hold potential to radically disrupt retail, and even life as we know it, in the next 10 years:

Quantum Computing

By Gitte Amstrup Sandlykke, chief marketing Officer, Targit

The success or failure of any business in this crowded and complex marketplace comes down to whether business goals are met – maintaining customer loyalty is chief among them. However, many retailers are beginning to confuse loyalty with promotions, loyalty cards and awards, undermining brand equity rather than building stronger ties with their customers.

New York -- Mother’s Day is turning into a goldmine for online retailers. Overall U.S. retail online sales for the week leading up to Mother's Day rose more than 15% compared to the same period last year, according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark. Mobile traffic accounted for 46.3% all online traffic, up more than 21% compared to last year. Mobile sales saw strong growth, up more than 43%, reaching over 24.4% of all online sales.

Sally Beauty Holdings Inc. has confirmed that there was an “illegal intrusion” into the company’s payment card systems. It is the retailer’s second data breach in a little over the year. Here are insights on the breach from four security experts:

Steve Hultquist, chief evangelist at RedSeal, the security analytics company:

Milwaukee – A sharp reduction in loss from continuing operations, primarily related to the sale of the Rainbow banner to Supervalu, helped Roundy’s Inc. cut net loss to $2.33 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, from $4.52 million the same quarter a year earlier. Net sales rose 14% to $981.93 million from $862.69 million, while same-store sales dropped 1.6%.

New York - Century 21 Department Store has selected Mi9 Retail to replace its current enterprise systems. The retailer was in need of a merchandising and analytics system that would streamline business operations.

Armonk, N.Y. - IBM is releasing new design and analytics features as part of IBM marketing cloud to enable brands to address the rising complexity marketers face engaging with customers as individuals. These new capabilities from IBM enable marketers to collaborate, design and deliver customer experiences with a focus on personalization.

Expanded analytics and design capabilities in IBM marketing cloud can be deployed as an integrated solution or as individual offerings. They include:

London – U.K. home and garden retailer Homebase is using IBM Commerce to provide more personalized shopping experiences by integrating in-store, online and mobile channels.

As a result, Homebase has achieved double-digit sales growth in all digital sales channels and a 30% increase in online visitors. With more than 40% of its customers now visiting online, Homebase collaborated with IBM to help redesign how its digital channels could offer more help, advice and inspiration.