Data & Analytics

Not good for business: Retailers show outerwear amid 90 degree temps
Consumers’ new ‘buy now, wear now’ mentality it putting them at odds with retailers, many of whom are already pushing outerwear and other cold weather gear.
Safe Stores: Five Design Ideas to Help Customers Feel Safer
With the FBI calling the attack at Crossroads Center in St. Cloud, Minn., that injured eight people a “potential act of terrorism,” the public’s fear about safety has been heightened. In fact, the news these days is saturated with danger signals. Some people feel the threat of public spaces more acutely than others.

Luxury home furnishings retailer in Austin debut

Restoration Hardware Holdings has entered the Austin market with the latest generation of its design gallery store format. The new RH Austin, The Gallery includes an entire floor dedicated to the retailer’s new RH Modern concept, with an integrated contemporary art gallery. It also includes an interactive design atelier, a professional workspace that allows customers, designers and architects to conceptualize and customize a home.
Tory Burch taps former Burberry exec

John Douglas has been named chief technology officer at Tory Burch LLC. In this newly created position, Douglas will be responsible for leading the company’s global technology and IT functions. Previously, Douglas was the CIO with MCM Fashion Group. Prior to that position, he spent nine years as CTO at Burberry.
Pet giant lures former Restoration Hardware exec

Petco appointed retail veteran John Zavada as senior VP and CIO. In his new position, Zavada will lead Petco's information technology strategies, teams and projects, including the company's business process optimization and enterprise program management office. Prior to joining Petco, Zavada served as senior VP and CIO at Restoration Hardware. He also held CIO positions at Guitar Center, Big Lots, Limited Inc., and Victoria's Secret Stores.
Report: Holiday shopping, driven by digital, to get early start

Gone are the days when Black Friday signified the official launch of the holiday shopping season. In fact, nearly half (49%) of shoppers will have a bulk of their holiday shopping done by Thanksgiving Day, according to a new survey from market intelligence solutions provider Market Track. And digital deals will be the catalyst.
Store traffic is down and it may not come back. What should retailers do about it?

By any measure, empirical and anecdotal, the number of people visiting retail stores is down. There are plenty of theories about why: it’s the mass movement of shoppers to online; it’s changing consumer preferences; it’s the weather; it’s those pesky, hard-to- figure-out millennials who would rather hunt for Pokémon than bargains at the mall.
Tech Bytes: Four Tips for Pre-Holiday Prep

The back-to-school shopping season has barely ended. The east coast is still experiencing a smattering of 90-degree weather. The top trending Halloween costumes haven’t even been confirmed yet. But consumers don't care — for them, preparing their holiday shopping strategies are priority one. Note to retailers: it’s never too soon to follow their lead.
HSNi in a technology first

HSN has become one of the first retailers with a fully functioning augmented reality app for tablets and mobile devices. HSN has launched an augmented reality design app across two of its home and lifestyle brands in its Cornerstone portfolio: Frontgate and Ballard Designs. The technology, powered by augmented commerce provider Cimagine, allows users to virtually place desired objects in their own homes, and engage with more than 1000 home décor and furnishings.
Report: Contact centers 'out of touch' with consumer needs

Industry observers are reporting that customer service is on the decline. The culprit: contact centers.
Rent-A-Center improves customer lease processing

Rent-A-Center customers can now attain merchandise even faster. The rent-to-own retailer added Provenir Cloud, from risk analytics and decisioning solutions provider, Proviner, to support the processing of customer applications for lease purchase agreements across its Acceptance Now division. AcceptanceNow partners with a variety of furniture, appliance and other retailers, increasing shoppers’ accessibility to high quality brands.
Pizza giant introduces bots for ordering

Domino’s customers can now place their orders without ever talking to a human. Starting Sept. 15, Domino’s customers with a “pizza profile” on the chain’s website can place orders via bot-based Facebook Messenger. The pizza chain's in-house team, which created zero-click ordering via Amazon Echo and Apple Watch, also developed Domino's new ordering bot.