Data & Analytics

Ace is the place smart about space
Ace Hardware Corp. is making sure that stores contain products local shoppers want, and plenty of them.

Ace is implementing JDA space and category management solutions, including floor planning, category knowledge base, Web publisher, and assortment optimization. This mix of solutions, which will complement an existing JDA footprint that includes space planning, warehouse replenishment, and demand and fulfillment applications, will ensure that the potential of scarce inventory and space assets is maximized.
Pep Boys needs a new owner – fast!
With rival AutoZone continuing to produce record results, Pep Boys' financial performance is headed in the opposite direction as uncertainty looms over who will acquire the company.

Pep Boys reported a 1.8% decrease in same store sales for the period ended Oct. 31. Net sales decreased by $9.4 million, or 1.8%, to $508.1 million from $517.6 million in the prior year. Net earnings were $1.3 million or 2 cents per share as compared to a net loss of $2 million in the prior year.

Walgreens and Rite Aid Proposed Merger: The Blurring Lines Between Retail and Healthcare

In October, Walgreens announced plans to acquire Rite Aid in a deal that had been widely anticipated. The deal is most certainly going to reshape the retail market by creating a drug store giant with nearly 13,000 stores in the United States; as well, it foretells of the significant changes occurring in the healthcare market.
Sorry, mobile: Cash is still king in retail

Various technology analysts, retail industry pundits, and economists of all stripes, have long predicted the demise of paper and coin currency along with the dawn of a cashless society.

And it is true that over the last few years, we’ve seen a big acceleration in the drive towards large-scale consumer adoption of new digital payments technologies, especially in the mobile category.
Video: Check out Primark ’s massive Madrid flagship
FTC blocks Staples and Office Depot merger

It’s like it is 1997 all over again with the Federal Trade Commission stepping in to block a merger between Staples and Office Depot on grounds that the deal would diminish competition.
Top 10 Disruptive Retail Trends for 2016

Enterprise technology provider Software AG is expecting retail to become an increasingly seamless and store-centric proposition in 2016.
ICSC: Mall shopping a big part of the omnichannel experience

While mobile technology has changed the way people shop, consumers — including the most tech-savvy — still do the vast majority of their shopping in shopping centers.

At least that’s according to a new survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers, which found that 83% of U.S. consumers visit a shopping center at least once a week, including 92% of 18 to 24 year olds. Overall, the young consumers visit shopping centers on average 10.8 times a week.
Tech Guest Viewpoint: Mobile apps streamline inventory management

Your inventory is your biggest investment, and getting it right takes a lot of work. Customers don’t like seeing outdated inventory or empty racks. They don’t like having to ask, “Is there more in the back? and having the employee answer, “I’m not sure.” But keeping track of what’s coming in and going out isn’t always easy.
IDC Retail Insights: Top 10 predictions for 2016

IDC Retail Insights lays out a blueprint for the future of retail technology in its “IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Retail 2016 Predictions.”

"Retailers are transforming from a business strategy, process, and technology perspective. Executing well requires a systemic change in the way they relate to customers and to their own employees and partners,” said Leslie Hand, VP, IDC Retail Insights, and a co-author of the report.

Here are IDC’s top 10 predictions for 2016:
The remarkable rise of Mattress Firm

The combination of acquisitions, new unit expansion and same-store sales growth enabled Mattress Firm to achieve record third quarter results and the company’s biggest deal ever is expected to close in 2016.
Tech Bytes: Three Lessons from Cyber Week Site Fails

Looking back on the 2015 edition of Cyber Week, we can reminisce on big traffic, big sales … and big fails?

Several high-profile site outages hit major retailers during a period of historically heavy online shopping. While nobody would call these positive events, they do offer retailers a few valuable lessons about the need to stay one step ahead of digital customer demand.

Not Too Big to Fail