Predictive Analytics

New York -- Two-thirds of gas and convenience mobiles searches use mobile devices exclusively, according to survey results by xAd/Telmetrics.

The 2013 U.S. Mobile Path-to-Purchase Study, conducted by Nielsen, revealed that 85% of search time in the gas and convenience category is spent on a smartphone, with most conducting gas price comparisons/searches.

The category also offers one of the highest mobile conversion rates — nearly 90% — as most mobile users who search for these services are ultimately making a purchase.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — AutoZone, a leading retailer and distributor of automotive parts and accessories, is expanding its partnership with KSS Retail, a Dunnhumby company, so the company can improve its price and promotion strategies.

Total U.S. Shopper Traffic in Retail Stores and Malls for June 2013

Shopper activity slightly decreased last month, thus returning to seasonal standards after May holidays. Retail foot traffic decreased 1.3% in June compared to May 2013, a slight departure from recently reported positive month-over-month retail trends. However, foot traffic for June 2013 was relatively flat compared to the same month in 2012 — with an increase of 0.3%.

CHICAGO — Cargill, an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services, has unveiled an assessment tool that identifies, prioritizes and quantifies risks and opportunities in its supply chains so improvements can be made to them.

Chicago – Parents want to buy food and beverages for their kids that are healthy and appeal to the entire family. Results of a new proprietary study from food processing company Cargill show that 89% of parents said they ask their kids to broaden their tastes, and 69% said they ask their kids to try more adult food.

Armonk, N.Y. -- Retailers and CPG companies with leading stock prices are more likely than their lagging competitors to use Big Data analytics to understand and adjust to customer needs. According to a study of 325 senior retail merchandising executives conducted by IBM Center for Applied Insights in conjunction with Planet Retail, 65% of leading retail merchandisers feel Big Data analytics is critical to their business compared to just 38% of other retail companies.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco has started the summer right, reporting sales of $9.92 billion for the month of June, the five-week period ended July 7, an 8% increase over the same period last year. 

For the 44-week period that ended Sunday, sales were $87.05 billion, also an 8% increase over the same period last year. For the month and the 44-week period, same-store sales rose 6%.

San Diego -- Warehouse club operator PriceSmart reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended May 31 rose 18% to $18.5 million, compared with $15.7 million in the year-ago period but missing Wall Street estimates.

Revenue rose 13% to $571.7 million, beating analysts’ expected $568.6 million in sales. Same-store sales rose 9.7%.

Boston -- Retailers need to carefully plan ahead in a number of areas to ensure they receive maximum ROI on investments in mobile technology, according to a new report from the Universal Commerce Innovation Exchange and Aite Group.

The areas, detailed in the “Strategies for Mobile Investments,” report, include:

Chicago -- Parents will shop and spend more during the back-to-school season this year than they did last year, according to ShopperTrak. The company projects that national retail sales will rise 4.3% in August, and retail foot traffic will increase 0.6%, when compared to the year-ago period.