Data & Analytics

By definition, successful retailers are very good at logistics.    

“Compared with other industries, retailers are a benchmark of logistical efficiency for moving items through their distribution channels and on to shelves in a timely way,” said Jim Griffin, senior VP sales, PODS, whose detached delivery system allows placement of containers in tough-to-reach and hard-to-fit locations.
    
Griffin spoke with Chain Store Age about how logistics efficiency can add to a retailer’s bottom line.
    
What are some of the most

A friend of mine is a devoted customer of a bath and body products shop in her local suburban town. There is nothing exclusive about the merchandise — most of the products can be bought online or at a number of other stores, often for a slightly lower price. My friend doesn’t care about any of that.

“They know me there by name, and they know what I like,” she told me. “They even email when new products come in that they think I would like. So what if it’s a little more expensive?

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW reported that its second quarter profit rose 1.8%, better than expected, with sales up across all its segments. Profit for the quarter ended Aug. 2 was $34.3 million, up from $33.7 million in the year-earlier period.
   
Sales rose 4.5% to $587.1 million. Same-store sales increased 0.8%. Both metrics surpassed Wall Street forecasts.
    

Houston - Luby’s, operator of the Luby’s and Fuddruckers casual dining brands, is expanding its use of the EyeQinsights system. The EyeQ solution learns about in-store shoppers and uses customer activity, demographics and preferences to enable retailers to instantly customize each shopper’s experience.

Atlanta – Customers of real estate management software provider Yardi can now have access to thousands of The Home Depot products either in store or online with a click of a button via the online procurement system offered with Yardi Procure to Pay, a fully automated end-to-end procurement and invoice processing platform.

Sterling, Va. - Social media demonstrated the best cost-efficiency of all major online advertising channels in second quarter 2014, coming in at 70% below the industry average for cost and showing a 32% cost decrease quarter over quarter. According to the Q2 2014 Media Intelligence Report from Neustar Inc., social’s reach-efficiency was 286% better than the next channel, portals, and its ability to reach exclusive users (not seen in other channels) improved by 65% quarter over quarter.

Seattle – Nordstrom Inc. is making it easier for its customers to shop on Instagram. The retailer has become the first company to launch the Like2Buy platform, which is designed to enable a more seamless shopping experience for customers on Instagram.  Like2Buy allows Nordstrom.com customers to directly purchase items featured on the retailer’s Instagram page.

Marina Del Rey, Calif. -- Guidance, an e-commerce design and development agency, announced the launch of a responsive website for Gearys Beverly Hills, which specializes in fine china, crystal, silver, gifts, jewelry, and watches.

Guidance provided e-commerce, mobile & responsive design, UX consulting, web development, integration, and hosting & managed services for the new site built on the Magento Enterprise 1.13 platform.