Predictive Analytics

New York – Brooks Brothers is connecting data to the customer experience in order to replicate the highly personalized shopping environment of its stores on its e-commerce site.

“We are connectors,” Cindy L. Hicks, director of analytics for Brooks Brothers, told the audience during a session at last week’s Internet Retailer conference in Chicago. “Our job is to connect data to the customer experience with a software package.”

Chicago -- A lot of IT practitioners talk about “keeping the lights on,” or executing simple but essential tasks such as making sure an e-commerce site is actually up and running. For Michael Hines, VP of e-commerce technology at The Jones Group, keeping the lights on involves a lot more than flipping a switch.

New York -- Specialty retailer Vera Bradley has helped boost the revenue and margins generated by its recently launched line of baby accessories by obtaining advance insight from consumers about what they would pay for certain products and also what features most interested them.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens reported sales of $18.3 billion for the third quarter, up 3.3%. Same-store sales increased 1.3%, with front-end comparable store sales up by 0.3% and pharmacy comp sales up 2%. Prescriptions filled were up 7% for the quarter.

Sales of Walgreens' shares were up $1 to $49.03 in early-morning trading.

Walgreens reported that more than 72 million Walgreens faithful have signed on for the company's Balance Rewards loyalty program through May. 

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General reported record net income and sales during for the first quarter, but still reduced the top end of its profit forecast due to moderating same-store sales.

The discounter reported net income of $220 million, up 3% from $213 million in the first quarter of 2012. Net sales totaled $4.23 billion, up 8.5% from $3.9 billion.

NEW YORK — Sociomantic Labs, digital advertising solutions provider for e-commerce marketers, has hired Charles Pitzer as the company’s VP of sales for North America.  

Pitzer has more than 25 years of sales experience, 14 of which have been concentrated in media with a focus on online advertising. He joins Sociomantic from Criteo. Previously Pitzer held positions at Specific Media, Advertising.com and IDG Communications.

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Ikea and 89 Degrees, a marketing solutions provider, will give a presentation on the company’s loyalty program at this years’ Customer Relationship Management Conference Tuesday, June 18, at the Hilton, Chicago.

89 Degrees helped the company leverage Big Data to drive its omnichannel marketing, 

Chicago -- ShopperTrak announced Monday the acquisition of interior analytics provider RapidBlue Solutions Oy, based in Helsinki.

RapidBlue uses radio frequency technology to collect shopper movement information, then transforms the anonymous data into information and insights that retailers can use to manage the marketing, merchandising and operations of their businesses.