Data & Analytics

Report: Walmart could learn a lot about mobile payments from Starbucks
As Walmart prepares to launch its Walmart Pay mobile pay solution, the discounter should study Starbucks’ success in the mobile payments area, according to a report by TheStreet.

Starbucks rolled out its mobile wallet in 2011, and mobile payment now accounts for 21% of all transactions in U.S. company-owned stores. If Walmart wants to get even close to those numbers, it will have to follow Starbucks’ lead and make sure that its mobile payment solution provides a real value to consumers.
Survey: Lots more holiday shopping left—and get ready for a busy Dec. 26
Going into the final stretch of the holiday season, a majority of Americans are far from finished with their holiday shopping.

Pinterest promotes social commerce value

Pinterest is adding a new feature to its Buyable Pins in-app purchase mechanism aimed at price-conscious shoppers.
Solution launched to drive online traffic into physical stores

A new technology platform has been launched with a very specific goal: to help retailers convert their online browsers into shoppers at their brick-and-mortar stores.

The solution, a scalable SaaS platform from Brickwork, is designed to elevate the customer experience from site to store. It seeks to revolutionize the online “store locator” function by enriching the data and content around physical locations for brands with hundreds, and even thousands, of locations.
Microsoft turns store into digital showroom

Microsoft introduced its HoloLens interactive 3-D virtual reality platform at the beginning of 2015. So far, it has not entered wide use among consumers or businesses.

According to The Verge, Microsoft is promoting HoloLens with a HoloLens Experience Showcase live demo area in its New York flagship store.

Read more by clicking here.
AmEx Survey: Lots more holiday shopping left—and get ready for a busy Dec. 26

Going into the final stretch of the holiday season, a majority of Americans are far from finished with their holiday shopping.

Seventy-three percent (73%) plan to shop last minute (vs. 79% in 2014), as most wait to find the best deals (44% vs. 46% in 2014), according to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker.

Other reasons consumers are shopping last minute include trying to save up until they have enough money (22%, on par with 2014) and difficulty finding the time to shop (20% vs. 16% in 2014).
The dark — and costly — side of holiday returns

Return fraud during the holidays is a growing problem for retailers—and also an extremely expensive one.
Study: Omnichannel experience has a ways to go

Retailers need to improve several aspects of their omnichannel customer engagement strategies if they want to truly satisfy customers.
Newegg walks the personalization talk

Holiday shoppers who need a friendly ear while looking for products online may want to check out Newegg.com.
Study: Most holiday shoppers check out this retailer

Close to nine in 10 consumers will take a look at one specific retailer before making a holiday gift purchase.

According to a survey of 3,000 U.S. consumers by marketing platform provider BloomReach, 87% of respondents will comparison shop at Amazon.com before buying a gift. This frequency of product searches is paying off for Amazon, as 73% of respondents said they will buy from Amazon and 71% will spend more than a quarter of their holiday budgets on Amazon.
Get ready for 'Super Saturday'

Shoppers are expected to turn out in droves this coming Saturday (“Super Saturday”) and also on Sunday, the last weekend before Christmas.
The dark — and costly — side of holiday returns

Return fraud during the holidays is a growing problem for retailers—and also an extremely expensive one.