Data & Analytics

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Mobile shopping is expected to reach new highs this  holiday season, but retailers aren’t prepared to meet customers’ mobile needs, according to a new CFI Group study, sponsored by eBay Enterprise.           

New York -- Despite potential seasonal barriers to store trips such as long lines, traffic and limited merchandise selection, consumers anticipate spending the majority of their holiday budget in physical stores this year, according to Deloitte's 29th annual holiday survey.     

Princeton, N.J. -- Heartland Payment Systems, the nation's fifth largest payments processor and a leading provider of merchant business solutions, has acquired leading foodservice industry enterprise-level POS software provider, XPIENT Solutions.  

New York --  Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings sold about $2 billion worth of goods on its websites within approximately the first hour of its annual shopping extravaganza.    This is the sixth year Alibaba has celebrated Singles Day, or 11.11 (named after the date, 11/11), a 24-hour deep-discount festival designed to boost sales during an otherwise weak period in China's sales calendar.   

Austin, Texas -- Gen Y consumers, whose annual spending power is estimated at $200 billion, prefer to shop at retailers that offer financing options, according to a new study.   An eNation study of more than 2,000 consumers, commissioned by financial technology company NewComLink, found that 59% of shoppers between the ages of 18 and 34 say their choice of retailer is impacted by whether that retailer offers financing options.  

Plug and Play brings together retailers and start-ups that offer specific technology and expertise that can relieve merchants’ pain points. Chain Store Age’s Customer Disruption newletter provides a Q&A with the CEO of one of those companies in each issue. This time, the spotlight is on John McIntyre of Sightly.   What does Sightly do?  

Washington -- The Association for Retail Technology Standards, a division of the National Retail Federation, on Monday announced the approval of the ARTS Operational Data Model version 7.0, and the ARTS Data Warehouse Model 3.0.  

London -- Leading British retailer Asda has partnered with ecommerce performance marketing company HookLogic to launch the company’s first venture into the European market.