Data & Analytics

Walmart wants to use drones to check warehouse inventory and assist with curbside pickup and delivery services, and has applied for permission from regulators to do so, according to CNBC. “Drones have a lot of potential to further connect our vast network of stores, distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation fleet,” company spokesman Dan Toporek told CNBC. “There is a Walmart within five miles of 70% of the U.S.

Consumers are making more e-commerce transactions, and smartphones are helping to drive growth.

According to the new Q3 2015 Performance Index report from e-commerce technology platform MarketLive, e-commerce sales continue to improve across all retailer categories (apparel, beauty, home furnishings, catalog, brick-and-mortar, and brand-direct), and across all major performance metrics. These include revenues (+13.5%), traffic (+19.8%), and average order value (+3.9% to $158).

Consumers who live active lifestyles often document their adventures on Instagram.

Poler Outdoor Stuff, a Portland, Oregon-based specialty outdoor retailer that operates an e-commerce site, as well as a flagship store, has been using Instagram for online promotions since launching four years ago. More recently, Poler has also been leveraging the promotional power of Instagram in its store.

With a tremendous swath of the retail economy moving to or exclusively launching online, is the traditional role of the brick-and-mortar salesperson becoming obsolete?

Studies show consumers consistently gather information and make educated decisions when making everyday purchases through online research at home or via mobile comparison shopping. In fact, today the Internet influences more than half (52%) of U.S. retail sales – and is expected to grow to 64% by end of 2015.

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube have some new competition as social commerce tools.

Visual commerce provider Curalate is releasing Curalate Reveal, a new solution enabling consumers to discover and shop products by clicking on images in blogs. Thus retailers can create shopping experiences on their own blogs or blogs of key influencers.

When it comes to respecting their privacy, consumers are less than satisfied with the retailers they shop.

According to analysis of social sentiment of more than 220,000 consumers by Capgemini Group, “Privacy Please: Why Retailers Need to Rethink Personalization,” 93% of all consumer sentiment on retail privacy was negative

When it comes to mobile engagement, retailers are wise to think of how mobile fits into the broader end-to-end shopping experience.

“That could mean location-based marketing with smartphone apps as well as reaching mobile customers with your email marketing program,” said Dan Leberman, VP/general manager, North America small and medium business, PayPal, during a recent interview with Chain Store Age. “You can see all the way through the shopping experience with a mobile-first e-commerce platform.”

It appears fraudsters are shifting their tactics online even in advance of the migration of in-store POS to EMV compliance.

The U.S. Retail Fraud Survey 2015 has reported a substantial increase in online credit card fraud. Published by Retail Knowledge and sponsored by cash handling technology provider Volumatic, the survey shows the biggest area of online loss remains, overwhelmingly, from the fraudulent use of credit cards (66%).

Retail is a lot like real estate – it’s all about location, location, location.

At least this is the conclusion of the fourth annual Mobile Path to Purchase study from location-based marketing provider xAd. The 2015 report reveals that 35% of U.S. shoppers who researched their impending purchases on their mobile device expect to buy within the hour.

In addition, those who research goods and services on the go are nearly twice as likely to purchase within the hour than those at home, and have a greater likelihood to convert in store.

Regional department store retailer Belk Inc. is using social media to make the holidays a little more fun and rewarding for its shoppers.

North Carolina-based Belk, which operates about 300 stores, has teamed up with digital marketing solutions provider HelloWorld for the return of the Santa Baby sweepstakes, now in its second year. In an effort to increase mobile opt-ins and ultimately boost brand awareness and consumer engagement, Belk and HelloWorld are allowing customers to create personalized e-cards, gifs, and TV spots.