Data & Analytics

On the Level: A real estate column
Do we come to bury Jeff Bezos, or to praise him?
When I was a boy, my Cioci Mary (cioci is Polish for aunt) would occasionally treat me to a trip downtown in the small city where I grew up. We’d get a burger at Pappas’ diner and then head to W.T. Grant’s and she’d buy me candy, a comic book and a small toy. I mist up a little just thinking about it now, more than 50 years later.
You think a child of today, decades hence, will recall his aunt buying him a pair of sneakers on her laptop as fondly?
Whole Foods’ rapid solar rollout
Whole Foods Market is saving money and time — and benefiting the environment—by taking an innovative approach to going solar.
That’s according to an analysis by the Retail Industry Leaders Association and The Solar Foundation that found Whole Foods’ strategy of taking a standardized approach to rapid rollout of solar rooftop installations across multiple locations could be a valuable model for other retailers to consider.

Focus on 'smart' lighting

Intelligent lighting can help improve back-of-the-house retail operations
While a lot of emphasis is placed on optimizing the front-of-the-house retail experience, improving back-of-the-house operations can also help retailers better meet customers’ evolving expectations — and intelligent lighting systems may be the key to improving those operations.
Supply chain efficiencies

The Home Depot to modernize with next-gen handheld devices in DCs
For The Home Depot, supply chain efficiency is about getting product from vendor partners down to store level, or directly onto the front porch of its shoppers — all without increasing overhead costs.
With an eye on modernization, the retailer is leveraging its mobile device management platform to ease its upcoming transition to a new fleet of ruggedized handhelds across its supply chain.
Engaging the connected consumer

Reinventing the traditional retailing experience is paramount to reaching a digitally savvy customer base, according to Joe Jensen, VP, Internet of Things group general manager, retail solutions division, Intel. Jensen discussed with Chain Store Age how retailers can meet this challenge.
What are the biggest challenges that retailers are facing in their customer engagement strategies?
Connected homes

IoT is making it easier for retailers to interact with consumers via connected home-based devices that allow consumers to interact with brands without launching a website or mobile app.
The best known is Amazon Echo, a voice activated device designed with an artificial intelligence assistant app called Alexa. Dedicated sensors in the device connect the consumer’s home to their retailers of choice, allowing, via voice commands, consumers to add items to virtual shopping lists or make online purchases.
Energizing in-store ops

The omnichannel retailing model is forcing brands to bridge the gap between physical and digital retailing. Add in the power of the Internet of Things, and this business transformation is finally within reach. From beacons that send out personalized promotions to frequent shoppers, to smart mirrors that allow customers to virtually “try on” clothing, IoT technologies are transforming the store experience.
If digitally savvy shoppers have taught retailers anything it’s that a traditional shopping experience isn’t enough to drive loyalty.
New store-supply-chain scenario

Supply chain visibility is important in omnichannel success. The Internet of Things could be the perfect tool to keep inventory hiccups throughout the demand chain to a minimum.
“While many retailers have a mind-set that IoT is about satisfying customers and not moving product, supply chain IoT use cases still interest retailers,” said Steve Rowen, managing partner at Retail Systems Research.
A retail journey

IoT promises to deliver coveted seamless shopping experience, enterprise-wide visibility
To remain relevant in an omnichannel retailing world, brands must evolve operations to satisfy the way people shop. Armed with the Internet of Things (IoT), retailers position themselves to leverage the necessary operations to engage digitally savvy customers in an ever-changing business landscape.
Holiday cheer — mostly

It’s that time of the year again — specifically, time for the holiday forecasts to start pouring in.
Let’s start with the good news. Early reports are calling for a solid season, with Deloitte predicting a 3.6% to 4% increase in total retail sales over last year.
As for the upcoming presidential election, it may be a temporary distraction in the early part of the holiday shopping season, but it’s not expected to have a negative impact on total sales. In fact, if past years are any indication, retailers may even benefit from a pickup in postelection consumer spending.
RILA in conference partnership with Sustainable Brands

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is merging its sustainability-focused conference with Sustainable Brands. Beginning in 2017, the two will produce a single conference together than includes a retail-specific program track, in addition to Sustainable Brands’ usual program, which covers sustainability-led brand innovation across multiple consumer-facing industries.
Retail Next: The biggest, busiest shopping days of the year will be…

Move over Black Friday. The biggest shopping day in terms of holiday sales is expected to be Friday, Dec. 23, while the biggest day in terms of store traffic is expected to be Saturday, Dec. 17, according to RetailNext Inc. (See lists at end of story.) It’s the first time in many years that Black Friday failed to top either of the lists.