Data & Analytics

With a mere six months under its belt, Lids’ new Access Pass loyalty program is driving customer engagement to new levels.   Tired of running a stagnant loyalty program that only engaged a small amount of shoppers regularly, the sporting goods headwear and apparel retailer was ready to change the game. In April, Lids switched from a static points-based program to a digital model designed to “delight” shoppers.  

Jegs Automotive Inc. has appointed a veteran marketing executive as its new chief executive.    The family-owned high-performance auto parts retailer on Wednesday announced it has appointed Jeffrey Hennion as its new CEO, effective Oct. 16. Most recently, Hennion served three years at GNC Holdings, where he was executive VP, chief marketing & e-commerce officer. He resigned in June.   

Consumers are becoming more digitally influenced on a seemingly daily basis — but omnichannel retailers find themselves hard-pressed to keep up the pace. Retailers need to meet their needs across all touchpoints, and create a frictionless shopping experience despite where the shopping journey starts and ends.   

Costco Wholesale Club reported better-than-expected profit and revenue for its fourth quarter.   Net sales for the 17-week fourth quarter ended Sept. 3 rose 15.8% to $41.36 billion from $35.73 billion in year-ago period, which had 16 weeks. Total same-store sales rose 6.1%, with a 6.5% increase in the U.S. and a 4.9% increase in Canada. International same-store sales rose 5.6%    E-commerce sales in the quarter were up 21%. Membership fees rose 13% to $943 million.   

1-800-Flowers.com continues to embrace the conversational commerce game.    The gifting brand is preparing to launch a program that will enable its customers to place orders via Google Assistant on their Android phones and iPhones. Using their voice or text, they can access a menu of gifting categories, and place orders for delivery nationwide. The service also enables users to specify same-day delivery or schedule a gift’s arrival for a future date.  

Following suit of older generations, younger shoppers want to pay for purchases with credit cards.    Specifically, Gen Z (ages 18-24) and Gen Y (ages 25-34) are comfortable using credit to make purchases, and overwhelmingly prefer credit cards to monthly payment options, according to new data from Vyze, a provider of cloud-based financial technology solutions.   

In a move to step up their customer experiences, more retailers are embracing artificial intelligence (AI).   This was according to the third quarterly “2017 E-commerce Performance Index,” a report from SLI Systems.   According to the data, 54% of companies reported they are using or plan to add AI in the future. The largest group of these respondents (20%) expect to add AI within the next 12 months.  

Energy is the fourth largest in-store operating cost for retailers, with the average 50,000-sq.-ft. retail building spending around $90,000 each year on energy costs. Retail building managers are constantly trying to better regulate their buildings’ energy costs, so understanding where those charges come from can be extremely beneficial.