Data & Analytics

Sears Holdings names new chief administrative officer
Sears Holdings has named an expert in digital transformation to fill the newly created role of chief administrative officer.

The company has named James P. Andrew to fill the new position, which will be responsible for the company's corporate support functions, including financial planning and analysis, business finance, procurement, legal, and human resources.
Digital retailing in a faster, more demanding world
Consumer expectations are increasing and retailers are keeping up—but their trading partners are lagging.

This is one of the key takeaways from the fourth annual industry benchmark survey by Retail Systems Research (RSR) commissioned by SPS Commerce. The goal of the survey was to examine the internal and external forces driving today’s retail ecosystem, an industry that has evolved more in the past decade than in the past century. That evolution continues this year, with three critical drivers at the forefront:

Instacart in big expansion

Online delivery service Instacart is launching its first expansion of 2016 – and it’s a big one.

Instacart is now offering deliveries in as little as one hour from Whole Foods Market, Gelson’s Market, Stater Bros. Markets, Ralphs, Smart & Final, Costco (no membership needed), Petco, and H Mart to residents of Orange County, California. Whole Foods will offer delivery via Instacart at prices that are the same as shoppers find in-stores.
Drone data shows ‘close calls’ surge

Retailers intrigued by the prospect of drone deliveries should be concerned by new data that shows a disturbingly high number of close calls with commercial aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration released data showing the number of incidents in which drones flew too close to a commercial aircraft increased to 1,200 last year from 236 incidents in 2014, the first year FAA began tracking the data.
A different kind of drone rolls into Walmart’s backyard

A major experiment is set to begin soon on the campus of the University of Arkansas that could determine how retailers use robots, also known as autonomous terrestrial drones, to make deliveries.

Beginning April 1, London-based Starship Technologies will be turning heads on the rolling hills of the University of Arkansas campus as an important experiment gets underway to gauge human interaction with autonomous land-based vehicles.
O’Neill Properties Group begins construction on $2.2 billion project

Sayreville, N.J. -- O’Neill Properties Group announced that it has completed brownfield remediation project at the 40-acre lagoon at The Pointe located in Sayreville, New Jersey. The Pointe is the largest mixed-use brownfield redevelopment ever undertaken in the Northeast with the project costs of $2.2 billion. Vertical construction will begin in spring 2016 on a 200,000-sq. ft. anchor tenant Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, the largest Bass Pro in the country outside of its original flagship operation.
Tech Bytes: Three Reasons Retailers Should Launch Their Own Social Platforms

Social retailing is nothing new, but more retailers are starting to experiment with launching their own proprietary social media offerings.
Evaluating Retail Technology ROI

The retail industry is abound with digital innovation, with brick-and-mortar stores rapidly adopting retail technology tools, services and gadgets in order to become a more relevant part of the consumer’s day. Emerging retail technologies are poised to make a splash among retailers in 2016, but not all serve the same purpose.
Kohl’s, Home Depot, Sears honored for energy efficiency efforts

Kohl’s, The Home Depot and Sears Holdings have all been honored with 2016 Energy Star Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence Awards from the Environmental Protection Agency for leadership in sustainability efforts.

KOHL’S: Kohl’s was recognized for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. It is the fifth consecutive year that the retailer has been recognized with the Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award.
Study: Retailers behind in EMV, does it matter?

Many retailers are lagging in their EMV adoption efforts, and many consumers may not care that much.
Sears Holdings hires turnaround specialist as chief administrative officer

Sears Holdings announced Monday that James Andrew has joined the company in the new role of chief administrative officer. In this position he will be responsible for the company's corporate support functions, including financial planning and analysis, business finance, procurement, legal and human resources.
Amazon Echo grows stronger

Amazon.com has been slowly but surely building the capabilities of its interactive Echo voice-activated consumer device. According to Re/code, integrating Echo with the Alexa artificial intelligence platform to allow the ordering of new commodity items is only a step toward the final goal. Namely, full-scale, Echo-based access to Amazon’s entire inventory. [Re/code]