Data & Analytics

Washington, D.C. – Seventy-two percent of online adults in the U.S. use social media. Data from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project shows that Twitter is helping drive this widespread social media use, as the percentage of Internet users who are on Twitter has more than doubled since November 2010, currently standing at 18%.

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. retail sales edged up 0.2% in July from June, according to figures from the Department of Commerce. This followed a 0.6% month-over-month boost in sales in June, driven by strong auto sales. The slower sales uptick reflected a drop in purchases of automobiles, along with furniture and electronics.

Costa Mesa, Calif. -- Anna’s Linens is optimizing its e-commerce site for mobile device users. The retailer says nearly one-third of its online traffic originates from mobile devices, prompting the move.

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Oracle Corp. is launching version 13.3 of its Retail Allocation solution that is designed to deliver real-time inventory levels along with sales and planning information for better assortment planning. Oracle Retail Allocation 13.3 uses embedded business intelligence and multiple data sources to support role-based dashboards that give recommendations based on the entire lifecycle of a product.

Pittsburgh – Giant Eagle is deploying EPiServer CMS and commerce solutions to enhance its customer online experience. The company leverages EPiServer technology to extend and deliver a multichannel, multi-platform experience online.

New York -- Online shopping site Gilt has appointed Tracey Weber as COO, effective Sept. 3.  She will have responsibility for many of Gilt's operations, including Gilt City, international, customer service, and merchandise planning, as well as oversee several new strategic initiatives.
   
Weber joins Gilt from Citibank, where she was the managing director, North America Internet and mobile and global product.

Washington, D.C. -- Following negative numbers in four of the last five months, import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to grow 1.7% in August over the same month last year and should continue to see gains through the holiday season and the remainder of 2013, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. The year is expected to end with a 2.4% increase over 2012.

New York -- J.C. Penney Co. announced that activist investor and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has resigned from the board of directors of the company, effective Aug. 12. His resignation comes in the wake of a very public and heated campaign in which he called for the ouster of Penney interim CEO Myron Ullman and chairman Thomas Engibous.