Data & Analytics

New York –- Organizational efficiency costs and charges related to store closures and upgrades that are part of an ongoing transformation plan negatively impacted net income reported by Coach Inc. during the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income totaled $146 million, down 33% from $218 million in the same quarter the previous fiscal year.  

Bentonville, Ark. –- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has reportedly apologized for offering Halloween outfits labeled as “fat girl” costumes on its e-commerce site. According to Bloomberg, Wal-Mart issued the apology after receiving social media criticism from offended consumers.  

Menomonee Falls, Wis. - Kohl’s Corp. expects same-store sales to decrease 1.4% in the third quarter of fiscal 2014. The company said October sales have been softer than the balance of the quarter.    Geographically, Kohl’s expects sales to be consistent across all regions. E-commerce sales are expected to increase more than 30%. By line of business, the company expects children’s to report same-store sales increases for the quarter.  

Cincinnati -- Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores plan to open in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2018 as part of a strategic partnership with Al Tayer Group LLC, a UAE-based company with diversified businesses. This will be Macy’s first international store location and the second for Bloomingdale’s.   

Englewood Cliffs, N.J. -- LG Electronics USA has selected Ugam's Brand Intelligence solution to help manage its brand reputation and channel relationships in the U.S. consumer electronics industry. Ugam's technology and services will support LG's commitment to deliver a superior customer experience by enforcing compliance with its pricing policy.  

New York -- As the holiday season approaches, shoppers are apprehensive about the rise in credit card breaches at major retailers and adjusting their shopping behavior accordingly. According to a new survey from TheStreet conducted by GfK, two-thirds of them are concerned that their credit card and personal information will be stolen whether they shop online or in stores.  

By Murali Nadarajah, Xchanging Malaysia   Consumers can purchase virtually anything they want anytime from anywhere, from the Internet to social media to mobile devices to good old brick-and-mortar stores. As a result of today’s omnichannel approach to retail, chain stores now have access to a massive collection of customer data that hasn’t existed until recently.  

Minato, Japan –- Japanese telecom/technology investment firm Softbank is reportedly planning to invest $10 billion in Indian e-commerce players during the next 10 years.   According to TheStreet.com, Softbank’s investments will include $627 million into Indian e-commerce platform Snapdeal.