Predictive Analytics

Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue21 has begun to implement assortment planning software from Maple Lake Ltd. The technology has the potential to reduce markdowns and increase profitability by allowing the company to constantly monitor and assort the newest trends for girls and guys between its store locations, Maple Lake said.

New York City -- A new report from Pike Research forecasts that LEDs will capture 52% of the commercial lighting market by 2021. Pike, a cleantech market intelligence firm, anticipates that LED lighting costs for various SSL products will be reduced by 80% to 90% in many cases during the next decade.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Kroger posted its 32nd consecutive of same-store sales gains as the grocer continues to grab market share due to a combination of a customer service initiative and value pricing.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- A report released Thursday by Kronos Inc. found that hiring in the retail sector continues to make marked improvements. The Kronos Retail Labor Index, which analyzes the current state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, rose to 4.2% in November 2011, from a downwardly revised 3.5% in October. This was the highest reading since October 2008 and the second reading of 4% or higher in the last three months.

New York City -- comScore reported that Cyber Monday sales totaled $1.25 billion, up 22% from last year, making it the heaviest online spending day in history. Overall, 10 million people bought online on Cyber Monday, representing the first time on record that threshold has been reached in a single day. The average online buyer conducted 1.9 online transactions on Cyber Monday for a total of nearly $125 in spending.

NEW YORK — Heading into December, consumers are feeling more confident about the economy and that is good news for retailers who are hoping for a strong holiday shopping season. After declining in October, The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, improved to 56 in November from 40.9 in Ocober. The Present Situation Index increased to 38.3 from 27.1. The Expectations Index rose to 67.8 from 50.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the Conference Board showed that consumer confidence experienced its biggest gain in more than eight years, jumping to 56 in November from a revised 40.9 reading in the month prior. The leap was the biggest since April 2003 and exceeded the most optimistic forecast by Bloomberg News.

The improvement in consumer attitude may help sustain household purchases, which account for about 70% of the economy, after sales climbed on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Redwood City, Calif. -- Actian Corp. said Tuesday that c-store chain Sheetz has selected its Vectorwise data analytics engine to optimize costs, maintain high quality and ensure a positive customer experience.

“Data growth is occurring at record rates,” said Jarrid Magalich, technical services manager at Sheetz. “It’s important for Sheetz to have a plan to manage this growth, maintain and improve current service levels – even with a growing user base – and reduce infrastructure costs wherever possible.”

Coppell, Texas -- CiCi's Pizza said Tuesday it has partnered with strategic site modeling company Birchwood Resultants to add another 500 restaurants in the next eight to 10 years.

New York City -- Online sales on Cyber Monday were up mid-afternoon by 15% from a year ago, according to IBM Benchmark.

In other mid-afternoon results, IBM reported:

• The number of consumers using a mobile device to visit a retailer's site is 12.4%.
• The number of consumers using their mobile device to make a purchase is at 7.37%; and
• iPhone continues to lead all mobile device traffic at 4.88%, followed by Android at 3.9% and iPad at 3.26%.