Data & Analytics

Amazon’s innovative re-training program has hit an all-time high.   

The Honey Baked Ham Company has tapped a veteran marketer -- and former associate -- to head up its marketing efforts.    The retailer named Jo Ann Herold as chief marketing officer, effective June 12, 2017. Herold returns after previously working with the brand for 16 years. She will lead strategic marketing directing development and execution for retail, franchise and e-commerce to generate continued demand for products and participation with the brand.     

There is good news for retailers in a just-released 2017 back-to-school spending forecast.     Retail sales during the back-to-school shopping season of July and August 2017 will grow 4.0% over 2016, according to eMarketer’s forecast. Retail sales in the U.S. during those core months will reach an estimated $857.18 billion, accounting for 17.0% of total retail sales for the year.  

Neiman Marcus Group is going it alone — at least, for now.

Amazon is giving shoppers another reason to sign up for Prime—and a reason not to use credit cards.   The online giant is launching a new program, called Amazon Prime Reload, that allows Prime members to earn 2% bonus every time they reload their Amazon gift card balance with cash from their checking account and debit card. The bonus is given in the form of rewards that can be used to make purchases on Amazon.   

Eager to strengthen operations across its enterprise, Supervalu is moving to the cloud.   Through a strategic relationship with Sungard Availability Services (Sungard AS), the grocery company is replacing its mainframe technology infrastructure with a new mainframe platform that will offer cloud, back-up, and other solutions and services. The new configuration is designed to improve operations across the independent retailers it supports.   

An electronics giant might is eyeing a program that could give it a leg up on online rival Amazon.  

Social media may be a popular platform for ad delivery, but that doesn't mean it is a trusted one.   Despite listing social media as the source of the second-highest volume of ad messages they receive — behind only television — consumers ranked social media last among their most trusted channels, according to a study by the Chief Marketing Officer Council. Consumers ranked friends, television, search engines and newspapers as more trusted sources.