Data & Analytics

Restoration Hardware misses Street in tough Q1
Specialty home furnishings retailer Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. (RH) had what could be termed a messy start to the fiscal year.

RH swung to a net loss of $13.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2016, compared to net earnings of $7.2 million the prior year period, falling short of Wall Street expectations. Revenue grew 8% to $455.5 million from $422.4 million, but also missed projections. Increases in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative (S,G&A) expenses helped push the retailer into the red despite improving sales.
Study: Improving economy helps some retail verticals
Consumers are being choosy about where they are spending extra money that is becoming available with the end of the recession.

According to a new study from Mintel, more than two in five (44%) Americans describe their financial situations as "healthy" in 2016, compared to 37% in 2015 and 33% in 2013, indicating that improvements in the economy are being felt at a household level. However, different retail categories are receiving the benefit more than others.

How Thoughtful Design and UX Can Affect Your Brand

Literally hundreds of considerations go into designing an app, but the success of your app hinges largely on one factor: user experience (UX).

So what is UX exactly? It’s less about what an app does and more about how it feels. You don’t just use apps, you engage with them. The instant a user opens an app for the first time, they form a connection with it. Their initial impression draws upon physical and emotional cues, and is largely influenced by UX.
Amazon keeps expanding supply chain infrastructure

Amazon.com has been announcing a lot of new distribution centers lately, and now is opening a new IT office dedicated to logistics, as well as a new physical pick-up location.

The e-tail giant is planning a new technology development center in downtown Minneapolis that will create 100 full-time, technology-focused jobs. Amazon currently has hundreds of employees in Minnesota and is also in the process of hiring an additional 1,000 full-time employees for its new Shakopee, Minnesota, fulfillment center.
Bon-Ton gets to the root of seamless experience

When it comes to supporting the back end of omnichannel retailing, the Bon-Ton Stores Inc. digs deeper than supply chain.

Bon-Ton has selected the end-user experience monitoring (EUM) solution from Catchpoint Systems, a digital performance analytics company, to help optimize the company’s digital customer experience. Specifically, the retailer will use Catchpoint’s Synthetic (Active) Monitoring solution to ensure that its e-commerce website and mobile site deliver consistently high performance, and to find and fix issues before they impact consumers.
Study: The ins and outs of online shopping

E-commerce is generally popular with consumers, but some offerings are better received than others.

According to the Walker Sands 2016 Future of Retail Study, based on a survey of more than 1,400 U.S. respondents, most consumers shop online with some level of frequency. Forty percent shop online once or more a month, 21% one- to two-times a week, and 7% three or more times a week. This means that about two-thirds (68%) shop online at least monthly, while only 4% shop online one- to three-times a year.
UPS: Online shoppers shift purchase habits

Bob Dylan sang “The Times They Are A Changin’” more than 50 years ago, but the sentiment is very current in the world of digital commerce.
UPS: Online shoppers shift purchase habits

Bob Dylan sang “The Times They Are A Changin’” more than 50 years ago, but the sentiment is very current in the world of digital commerce.
DSW takes personalization to new level

Shoe shoppers know how individual fit can be, and footwear chain DSW Inc. is trying to be as accommodating as possible.

DSW is partnering with 3D footwear printing specialist Feetz to create custom fit, sustainably made shoes. Feetz uses a combination of 3D printer technology and human craftspeople to make new pairs of shoes in hours and designed software to custom fit shoe designs to consumers’ feet.
Dollarama sees green in Q1; plans new stores

Dollarama Inc. got fiscal 2017 off to a strong start.

Dollarama Inc. reported sharp increases in profit and revenue during the first quarter of fiscal 2017, and intends to open a net of 60-70 new stores by end of the year.

Net earnings soared 28% to $83.2 million from $64.8 million the same quarter a year earlier. Improvement of the gross margin and lower selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses as a percentage of sales helped drive net earnings growth.
Familiar name leads retailers in brand value

An organization that has taken the retail world by storm in the past several years just earned another accolade.

According to the 2016 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking released by WPP and Millward Brown, Amazon.com has become the World's Most Valuable Global Retail Brand
Specialty chocolate retailer gives customers tasty seamless treat

Purdys Chocolatier, a 74-unit Canadian chain based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has launched a new digital shopping experience.

The company is leveraging the Aptos Digital Commerce platform with integrated Aptos Enterprise Order Management. Purdys operates stores in several Canadian provinces and also operates an e-commerce business throughout North America. The retailer’s new fully responsive website replaces two legacy e-commerce systems, enabling it to support singular commerce and seamless experiences.