Data & Analytics

Levi Strauss store tests RFID

Levi Strauss & Co. knows that the most valuable service store associates can provide is serving customers.

The specialty apparel retailer is working with Intel on a pilot concept at one of its store in San Francisco to give associates near-real-time visibility into store inventory, reducing the time they spend managing inventory.
Champs makes sneaker releases less sneaky
Champs Sports is joining the rapidly expanding ranks of retailers with a consumer-facing mobile app. The Champs Sports app allows customers to find upcoming sneaker launches, launch dates, and locations in which the hottest sneakers can be purchased, as well as browse and buy items from the online Champs store.

A complete release calendar allows customers to keep up with future shoe launches and be the first to know about hot, new releases. Users can also select a specific sneaker release and seamlessly add it to their iCalendar or Google Calendar.

Study: Consumers do their e-commerce homework

When it comes to e-commerce, consumers aren’t afraid to do a little homework.

According to the 2015 Digital Consumer Preferences Survey from digital commerce solution provider BrandShop, 96% of consumers feel research is a crucial step in making an e-commerce purchase.

Almost six in 10 (58%) respondents start their product search on Google, and 22% go directly a brand’s website. Third-party retailers such as Amazon came in third with 14% usage.
Edens selected to revitalize grocery-anchored center with mix of uses

Edens and Montgomery County Maryland announced the redevelopment of Burtonsville Crossing and the adjacent park-and-ride lot located in Burtonsville, Maryland.

In 2014, Edens was selected by Montgomery County to develop the adjacent surface parking lot while continuing to provide commuter parking at this strategic location.
Walmart strategy boosts mobile engagement

Walmart has figured out how to tap into its shoppers’ offline habits to drive more engagement online, according to a new report from Quartz.

Walmart has managed to do something very few retailers have accomplished: Convince millions of people its mobile app is useful enough to snag a prime spot on their phones’ home screen.

Read more about Walmart's strategy by clicking here.
Online footwear retailer sprints toward faster delivery

Vancouver-based specialty online footwear retailer Shoes.com is sprinting toward new levels of fast delivery.

Shoes.com is offering home and office delivery in two hours or less on select items on its Canadian website.

The service costs $19.95 per order and launches Thursday, Sept. 17 in Vancouver and Toronto and surrounding municipalities, with plans to expand to Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa by the end of 2015.

Shoes.com will use a network of local fulfillment centers that have access to the retailer’s technology, operations and marketing.
Amazon heats up devices, content

Seattle — Amazon.com is heating up its selection of consumer devices and digital content. The online retailer is releasing several new Amazon Fire tablet and TV devices, and also introducing a new free digital content service called Amazon Underground.

A week after Apple announced its Apple TV live video streaming set-top box device, Amazon is introducing Apple Fire, a similar live video streaming device that will cost $99 ($50 less than the $149 starting price for Apple TV) and offer similar features such as voice-enable remote control.
The keys to winning the e-commerce (rat) race

It’s early evening in Chicago circa 2020. A courier company van sits in traffic, toting Target packages ordered from a customer’s phone at noon for delivery by end of the day (called AM/PM delivery). Nearby, a car contains a single mom who drives part-time for Deliv; she’s stressed because she may not make the time window selected by a Macy’s customer earlier that day.
Webinar on how Saks’ million-dollar energy savings started with data

New York -- Learn how Saks Fifth Avenue used data as the foundation for its energy efficiency initiatives at a Webinar on Thursday, September 24, 2015, at 2 p.m. (EST).

Gary Levitan, senior manager of energy and utilities for Hudson’s Bay Company, parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, will explain how Saks used data — and how it efficiently identified and leveraged the right data — to make the business case for an efficiency initiative that drove the following benefits:
Target is looking for a few good startups

Target Corp. has operated an innovation lab in San Francisco since 2013, but now the retailer is eyeing a more accelerated and outward-focused approach to innovation.
NRF: Customers not buying EMV technology

While the financial industry is supporting the use of chip-and-signature cards to meet the upcoming Oct. 1 EMV mandate, consumers are less convinced.
Study: For majority of retailers, omnichannel is a priority

The term “omnichannel” has been bandied about so much that some feel it is simply a buzzword, but retailers are taking it seriously and working to implement omnichannel solutions and practices.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; max-height: 100000px; color: rgb(54, 54, 54); font-family: open_sansregular, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255,