Predictive Analytics

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens announced Friday its 100th rooftop solar power system installation, marking the drugstore retailer’s continued commitment to sustainability.

The announcement of the latest installation, in Mason, Ohio, comes on the heels of Wednesday’s report that Walgreens would complete one of the nation’s largest solar energy rollouts, contracting with SoCore Energy to complete 90 Ohio solar installations – the first 53 by Nov. 11.

CHICAGO — In the wake of several surveys projecting how shoppers will spend this holiday season, the latest study from ShopperTrak expects national retail sales to increase 3% during November and December, while foot traffic will drop 2.2%.

ShopperTrak said its 3% holiday sales increase prediction follows 19 consecutive months of year-over-year U.S. retail sales growth, adding that the expected increase is moderate when compared with the 2010 holiday season's 4.1% sales increase over 2009.

New York City -- SAP announced it will acquire business-to-business (B2B) integration provider Crossgate, Munich. A leading provider of hosted B2B integration services, Crossgate enables companies to fully integrate and network with trading partners, clients and suppliers, allowing electronic data exchange with any business partner regardless of their technical capability.

Chicago -- Retail sales will rise 3% percent during November and December compared to the year-ago period, but foot traffic will decrease 2.2%, according to ShopperTrak.

ShopperTrak's holiday sales increase prediction follows 19 consecutive months of year-over-year U.S. retail sales growth. The expected increase is moderate compared with the 2010 holiday season's 4.1% sales increase over 2009.

Indianapolis -- Shopping center owner Simon Property Group said Tuesday that it has again been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project with inclusion in its Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.

Winston-Salem, N.C. — Family Dollar Stores has found itself a way to better understand how customers respond to its in-store displays and promotions, and how they can be improved to generate more sales. The discount retailer has engaged RockTenn, manufacturer of consumer packaging solutions and BVI Networks, a provider of real-time in-store monitoring, to open the first large format "ShopperGauge" branded retail learning lab at Family Dollar Stores.

New York City -- For every $100 in fraudulent transactions, retailers incurred a “true” cost of $230, according to a new study released Tuesday by LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

According to the study, retail merchants and financial institutions reported an overall decline in fraud rates and transactions while total retail sales rose. Consumers also experienced a decline in fraud losses overall but the average time it took to resolve fraud issues rose by 57% and the out-of-pocket costs of fraud rose by $244.

Washington, D.C. -- Applied Predictive Technologies said Tuesday that family restaurant chain Denny’s Corp. has licensed APT's Test & Learn Management System.  

Denny’s will use APT’s solution to test strategic and tactical initiatives across its 1,670 restaurants.

New York City -- Most than a quarter of Americans expect to spend less during the holidays this year, according to a survey by American’s Research Group, Reuters reported.

About 27% of people surveyed said they planned to spend less this year, while about 55% expect to spend only as much as last year. The question was one of several asked exclusively for Reuters as part of a larger America's Research Group survey.

Bensalem, Pa. -- Charming Shoppes’s plus-size Lane Bryant division announced the launch of Fashion Genius, a new technology that provides personalized product recommendation services. According to the retailer, the technology offers one-of-a-kind fit and style solution guides through a simple survey that combines a woman’s curves, fit issues and signature styles to individual merchandise items in just three minutes and with no measurements required.