Data & Analytics

Google could be preparing to take on Amazon.com with its own unique e-commerce solution. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is developing a “buy now” button that would be embedded right into results pages within the search engine.   

Minneapolis – Technology geeks do not have the reputation of being the people you turn to in a crisis, but travelers in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport who experience difficulty with their electronic devices just may find a geek is what they need. Agents from the Best Buy Geek Squad technical service will be available daily now through Dec. 23 in O’Hare’s Terminal 3, Concourse H, with a “Precinct” similar to those found in Best Buy stores.  

Montreal, Canada – Specialty childrenswear retailer Souris Mini has selected Raymark's omni-channel customer relationship management (CRM) solution to support strategic initiatives in streamlining marketing activities and improving customer communications. The retailer, with more than 30 locations on two continents, is modernizing the way it engages with customers across all channels, with the project currently underway.   

By Gary Lee, InReality   As 2014 comes to a close, one thing is clear—traditional retailing is under fire.    Consumers, not brands or retailers, now hold the reigns of power. And, to survive, marketers in brick-and-mortar must take a fresh approach to physical retailing, and carve out a unique value proposition for the in-store experience, one worthy of the consumer’s precious time.  

RESTON, Va. - Retail e-commerce spending from desktop computers for the first 44 days of the November-December 2014 holiday season totaled $42.5 billion, up 15% versus the corresponding days last year. According to comScore.  

New York – Every retailer wants to acquire new customers, but not every retailer knows how to draw them in. According to new retailer and consumer survey data from loyalty intelligence provider Colloquy and sponsored by Chase Merchant Services, 60% of retailers admitted they lack reliable data to support effective targeting of new customers for acquisition purposes.  

Cary, N.C. – Things are hopping at convenience store/gas station chain The Pantry Inc. According to the Wall Street Journal, the operator of Kangaroo Express and other convenience store banners is preparing to sell itself and already took bids in an auction run by a private investment bank the week of Dec. 8.  

London, U.K. – Phone calls may seem obsolete in this text- and online-based age, but U.S. consumers are still making the call when they purchase items. According to a new study from call-based marketing automation company ResponseTap, consumers in the U.S. are more than twice as likely to make a phone call when making a purchase, as opposed to purely transacting online.