Data & Analytics

Shortly after expanding its e-commerce partnership with Facebook, the cloud-based multichannel Shopify platform is teaming up with another online giant. Shopify has been selected as the preferred migration provider for Amazon Webstore, making it easier for online businesses to sell on both Amazon and other channels using Shopify.

Key forecasting metrics have remained essentially flat for five years, but one emerging technology offers retailers the chance for improvement. According to the sixth annual Forecasting Benchmark Study from supply chain software provider Terra Technology, companies using sensing demand systems consistently double overall forecast value-add and reduce error by 37%.

In recent years, the omnichannel world has turned retail on its ear. But after all the innovation, retailers have spoken: the store is back - and employees are going to be a key driver to its success. Retailers are trying to provide services in stores that consumers just can't get online, and for that, store employees become a clear differentiator.

But do retailers have the workforce they need? And what tools does that workforce need to be successful?

The Home Depot is building physical infrastructure to support online operations. The home improvement giant is officially opening the third of three facilities designed to support its online business, IT transformation and overall interconnected retail strategy.

The new 1.6 million-sq.-ft. facility is located in Troy Township, Ohioand is expected to eventually employ 500 workers. Home Depot is opening the center as online sales continue to grow and currently account for 5% of total revenues.

Home furnishings retailer Havertys reported that Gary Niedermeyer, assistant VP, supply chain, will retire at the end of 2015. He will be succeeded by Abir Thakurta, who will report to Richard D. Gallagher, executive VP, merchandising.

Abir Thakurta joins Havertys with considerable experience in cross-industry supply chain strategy and operational design. He was most recently with GT Nexus as a director in their supply chain consulting practice where he implemented performance improvement programs with retailers worldwide.

October will be over in a flash, and with it, all eyes will be on the holiday season, which is measured from November 1 through December 31.

The 2015 retail calendar has several distinctions, as we saw Memorial Day fall on the earliest possible date and Labor Day on the latest possible date. This holiday season, there are 28 days between Thanksgiving (not counting the actual day) and Christmas, which is an average amount for the period separating the two holidays.

Rite Aid on Thursday reported $7.7 billion in revenue for its fiscal second quarter ended Aug. 29, representing an increase of 17.5%. Retail pharmacy segment revenues were $6.6 billion and increased 1.9%, primarily as a result of an increase in same-store sales. And pharmacy services segment revenues were $1.1 billion from the date of the acquisition of EnvisionRx — June 24 — through the end of the quarter. 

Target Corp., which has operated a proprietary innovation lab in San Francisco since 2013, is eyeing a more outward-focused approach to innovation. Target is partnering with startup accelerator Techstars to open a new retail accelerator program in its hometown of Minneapolis.

Online shoppers will do anything to quality for free shipping-even spend more money.

Sixty percent of holiday shoppers say they have increased their online spending in the past to qualify for free shipping, according to the 2015 Holiday Shopping Survey from Pitney Bowes. 

The overwhelming majority of merchants are not ready for the shift to EMV. 

Only 27% of U.S. merchants will be EMV-ready by the October 1st liability shift, down from the 34% estimated in March, according to a survy by The Strawhecker Group (TSG).

By December 2015, 44% of U.S. merchants are expected to adopt EMV, however EMV-readiness will not reach a threshold of least 90% until 2017— more than 15 months after the shift.