Data & Analytics

Amazon.com is not waiting until Black Friday or even Thanksgiving Week to launch its deepest holiday discounts.

The e-commerce giant announced Monday that its Black Friday Deals store is now officially open. In addition, this year Prime members can access more than 30,000 Lightning Deals 30 minutes early, giving Prime members special, early access to deals.

eBay is targeting consumers across digital and physical channels this holiday season with a new online holiday hub and even in-person selling stations.

Through Jan. 1, 2016, eBay is running a multifaceted holiday campaign called “Wish Bigger.” A central feature is a holiday-specific shopping site, eBay.com/holidays, which will offer features such as a soon-to-launch holiday heat map that will track what eBay customers are wishing and shopping for coast-to-coast on a weekly basis.

99 Cents Only Stores has appointed a new CFO who has been a veteran retail leader for Kroger and Albertsons.

Exceptional customer service continues to drive growth at Publix Supermarkets, which had strong earnings and same-store sales growth in its third quarter.

Publix sales for the third quarter 2015 totaled $7.8 billion, representing a 6.3% increase from last year. Comparable-store sales for the third quarter of 2015 increased 4.2%.

AutoZone is making some changes to its leadership as the company positions itself for growth and expansion.

The company announced the following promotions:

• Phil Daniele, VP, Commercial Support, promoted to senior VP, commercial
• Bill Hackney, VP, merchandise pricing & analysis, promoted to senior VP, merchandising
• Jim Griffith, VP, store development promoted to senior VP, store operations
• Rod Halsell, VP, distribution promoted to senior VP, supply chain

Whole Foods Market is adding a Target veteran with experience in technology and omnichannel marketing to its executive leadership team.

The grocery retailer announced that it has named Don J. Clark global VP of purchasing for non-perishables.

“He is a proven leader in the retail industry with a clear track record of delivering results. His core values align very well with our company’s, and we are confident that Don will execute a range of innovative strategies that help take our non-perishables business to the next level.”

Rather than let third-party platforms have all the online home services fun to themselves, Sears is joining the game.

Sears Home Services is launching a new site, SearsHomeServices.com, aimed at connecting homeowners with Sears-certified technicians. The site also offers do-it-yourself information. Technicians are regionally listed and rated by criteria such as number of repairs completed, average cost, and length of repair time. Customer reviews are also featured.

Every retailer hates online chargebacks, and unusually active chargeback activity is often an indicator of e-commerce fraud.

Risk management firm Chargebacks 911 has identified the U.S. cities in the Northeast where the highest percentage of e-commerce transactions result in a chargeback. Visa and Mastercard have set 1% as acceptable chargeback threshold, and these ZIP codes far exceed that figure.

• 17% chargeback rate: Port Washington, New York (11050)
• 15% chargeback rate: Astoria, New York (11105)

Earlier this month, Reebok was hit with a proposed class action alleging that the company’s website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because it is not accessible to the blind. The plaintiffs argue that Reebok.com contains “thousands of access barriers” that make it difficult — if not impossible — for blind customers to use the site.

Whole Foods Market is adding a Target veteran with experience in technology and omnichannel marketing to its executive leadership team.

The grocery retailer announced that it has named Don J. Clark global vice president of purchasing for non-perishables.