Data & Analytics

The world's largest home improvement chain is benefiting from Americans spending more on their homes than on their wardrobes, as Home Depot reported record sales and earnings in the second quarter.

Consumers may be shying away from department stores but they are still flocking to off-price retailers such as TJX, which posted impressive sales and revenue growth in the second quarter.

 In a shift to quality over quantity, Walmart has cut expansion plans for its Neighborhood Market stores despite the format’s consistently strong top line growth in recent years.

Target has reached an agreement with Visa card issuers to reimburse costs related to a data breach at the retailer in 2013.

According to The Wall Street Journal, agreement, which could entail as much as $67 million in reimbursement costs, comes three months after a proposed $19 million settlement between Target and Mastercard fell through.

Read more about the deal by clicking here.

Despite efforts by her previous employer to block the transition, former Kohl’s CIO Janet Schalk is joining Hudson’s Bay Co. in the same capacity.

Philadelphia – Although net income at Urban Outfitters Inc. slightly slipped in the second quarter of fiscal 2016 compared to the same period a year earlier, it still beat Wall Street expectations. Net income totaled $66.84 million, down 1% from $67.5 million.

Oakland, Calif. – Stores are apparently failing to deliver the goods when it comes to providing customers the products they want, when they want them. New research from supply chain technology provider GT Nexus shows that 75% of U.S. adults have found a product unavailable in a store in the past 12 months.

And 38% of U.S. adults experienced in-store stock-outs often or very often in the past 12 months.

Seattle – Amazon.com has no shortage of innovative ideas on connecting customers to the products they buy, and reportedly is considering yet another new delivery method. According to GeekWire, Amazon has filed a patent application to use public transportation to help get goods to customers.

New York – Teen girls are known for being social, and they are staying true to form for the back-to-school season. According to a study of 1.035 teen girls by Teen Vogue and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), 75% of respondents will use their smartphone to seek out back-to-school inspirations and ideas.

New York – As millennial moms are making back-to-school preparations that include planning school lunches, many are turning to their peers and the Internet to get ideas. According to a survey of millennial moms about their back-to-school lunch plans by online review site Influenster, word of mouth (79%) is the top influencer for school lunch shopping decisions.

That is followed by online reviews (59%), social media (57%), brand websites (43%), television (37%), news websites (16%) and newspapers (15%).