Data & Analytics

The pursuit of sustainability goals at Home Depot has been such a boon to efficiency the company just set major new goals.

The retailer said by 2020 it plans to reduce total energy use by an additional 20% below 2010 consumption levels and procure 135 megawatts of electricity from a combination of onsite fuel cell and solar installs in addition to offsite solar and wind sources.

Mahwah, N.J. – It took close to a year, but Ann Inc., owner of the Ann Taylor and Loft banners, has followed the wishes of major shareholders including Engine Capital LP and Red Alder LLC and agreed to an approximate $2.15 billion buyout from specialty apparel rival Ascena Retail Group Inc. Ascena, whose store brands include Lane Bryant and Dressbarn, will acquire Ann Inc. for $47 in cash and stock per share, a 21% premium over Ann Inc.’s May 15 closing price.

Buy online, pick up in store capabilities are being rolled out to all of Kohl’s nearly 1,200 stores this spring after a successful 100 store pilot program during the holidays.

And that just the beginning of the digital initiative the company has planned.

The addition of pick up in store to Kohl’s omnichannel offering puts the retailer on equal footing with others in the industry who have recognized in store pick up has quickly become a basic expectation shoppers have of retailers who operate physical stores.

Regional supermarket co-op Hy-Vee Inc. is giving customers seamless access to their purchases just in time for the holidays.

Earlier this year, 240-unit, West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee launched Hy-Vee Aisles Online, a new service that allows customers to shop for their groceries, pay electronically and choose to pick up their order or have it delivered to their home. The rollout of the program began in select stores in the Des Moines metro area in April and was gradually launched across other markets throughout the summer.

Jet.com customers waiting for Christmas deliveries may want to start setting their sites on Boxing Day or other post-Christmas holiday events.

In a brief statement on its website, Jet.com acknowledged that it cannot guarantee that deliveries for any item not eligible for two-day shipping will arrive by Dec. 25. The statement cites nationwide shipping delays that have affected its delivery partners and thanks customers for their patronage during the retailer’s first holiday season.

Springfield, Va. -- PREIT announced that Springfield Town Center in Springfield, Virginia, has recorded $505 PSF in sales for tenants less than 10,000 sq. ft. open during the center's first full year of operation, 18% above the company's portfolio average as of September 30, 2015.

The newly redeveloped 1.35 million sq. ft. regional mall was acquired by PREIT March 2015 and celebrated its grand re-opening in October 2014 after undergoing a dramatic renovation and rebranding.

In many ways, 2015 marked the year the customer truly took over. Retailers recognized that constant connectivity and increasingly sophisticated consumer devices have created an environment where customers decide what they want, when and how they want it, and then choose the retailer who can best meet their needs.

In this environment, retailers scrambled to engage customers in a more personalized and direct way than ever before. Here are the top three customer engagement trends of 2015.

On the Go

When your customer base is drivers who have had an accident or mishap with their vehicle, capturing consumers “in the moment” is crucial.

So with 6,500 mobile glass shops across the country, Columbus, Ohio-based Safelite Group Inc. runs a national business model that relies on capturing natural search traffic.

According to analytics reports from Adobe and RetailNext, online sales trumped bricks-and-mortar over Black Friday weekend and the trend looks to continue throughout the 2015 holiday season.

This signifies a shift that’s been obvious for quite some time — consumers are going digital. Does this mean the brick-and-mortar retailer is dying a slow death? Not a chance.

Pure play home furnishings retailer Wayfair is citing one digital channel in particular as serving as a major growth driver.

According to Wayfair, 35% of all orders in third quarter 2015 were placed on mobile devices. In addition, a majority of traffic to Wayfair now occurs on phones and tablets. Phone traffic in particular has been sharply rising throughout 2015 as customers switch from PCs and even tablets.