Data & Analytics

Philadelphia – Urban Outfitters Inc. beat Wall Street expectations with its sales for the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2014. Total net sales grew 12% to $1.01 billion from $905.86 million.

Same-store sales, including direct-to-consumer sales, rose 6%. For the full year, total net sales increased 8% to $3.32 billion, from $3.09 billion. Same-store sales grew 2%. For both the fourth quarter and full fiscal year, strong growth in the wholesale segment helped push up total net sales.

One of the interesting retail real estate trends I’ve been seeing pick up steam in the last couple of years is the willingness of many retailers to look beyond the traditional mall locations. Many are choosing locations on “hot streets,” bustling avenues within major communities that happen to be the retail hub, or in the downtown/village center area of the market.

New York -- Traditional preprint circulars continue to dominate many retailers’ promotional offerings but digital coupon momentum is accelerating, according to strong 2014 results by Coupons.com.

Total revenue in the company’s fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2014 increased 14% to $60 million and full year revenue increased 32% to $221.8 million. Total digital coupon transactions in 2014 increased 23% to 1.6 billion.

London – U.K. digital department store retailer Shop Direct is moving to a hybrid cloud model, hosted by IBM, to increase flexibility and quickly respond to changes in demand as it grows. IBM’s cloud will underpin the delivery of a suite of analytics, mobile, social and security offerings that will enable Shop Direct to improve its customers’ online shopping experience while empowering its workforce to collaborate more easily and improve productivity.

Seattle – Rising selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses resulted in shrinking profits for Blue Nile Inc. during the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014, despite healthy sales growth. In the fourth quarter, net income dropped 2% to $4.83 million from $4.93 million.

Net sales rose 8% to $157.47 million from $145.96 million. During the full fiscal year, net income fell 12% to $9.73 million, from $10.87 million. Net sales grew 5% to $473.51 million, from $450 million.

By Deepak Advani, IBM Commerce

The 2014 NFL season is over and teams have shifted focus from the Super Bowl to what’s next. This assessment requires a detailed examination of their rosters, where money was spent and what investments produced the desired outcome. It’s this same exercise that advertisers must do right now, especially those that dropped $4.5 million for a 30-second spot during the big game.

Randolph, Mass. - Distinctive Apparel has selected MarketLive as its new e-commerce technology platform to support its online and multi-channel retail operations. Privately-held Distinctive Apparel is the parent company for catalog retailers Chadwicks of Boston, Territory Ahead and Metrostyle, and all three brands will be joining the move.

Distinctive Apparel will deploy MarketLive’s full commerce suite, including a new Support Call Center module.

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS Health Corp. showed vitality with its financial performance in the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Net income for the fourth quarter grew 5% to $1.32 billion from $1.26 billion.