Data & Analytics

Get ready for a very competitive holiday season.

Target is taking its lighting to the next level. The retailer tapped Acuity Brands to provide Target stores with smart lighting technologies, featuring energy-saving LED fixtures and dimming controls. Target will be exclusively installing Acuity’s next generation, smart LED sales floor fixtures, along with its store accent lighting and distribution center site lighting.

A little over one year since it acquired rival Family Dollar, Dollar Tree reported revenue that missed Wall Street expectations amid lower customer traffic.     Dollar Tree and other discounters are also feeling the impact of a recent change by some states regarding the criteria for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which has made thousands of households ineligible for benefits.      

Destination XL Group Inc. reported a profit in its second quarter amid the ongoing strength of its DXL larger store format.   The retailer of big and tall apparel for men posted net income for the second quarter of $0.2 million, compared with a net loss of $1.0 million in the year ago period.  

Staples wants to make back-to-school shopping virtually effortless.    The retailer announced a new beta test available on its mobile iOS app. Customers can now send a photo of their child’s back-to-school list via the Staples Easy System on the app and a Staples associate will populate the customer’s shopping cart with everything they need.      

Update on retail’s most important time of the year

It’s no secret that online shopping and changing consumer preferences continue to impact physical retail traffic. Despite the shifting landscape, retail sales remain largely intact and, more importantly, are expected to increase year-over-year this holiday season.

November and December are prime time for physical retailers.

Chain Store Age recently sat down with Stefan Weitz, chief product and strategy officer of omnichannel commerce and service provider Radial (formerly eBay Enterprise), to discuss how retailers can offer a seamless experience and have a successful holiday.
    
What is the biggest challenge retailers face when trying to enable omnichannel?

In many cases, it’s thinking they can do omnichannel by themselves.

Dollar General Corp. reported lower-than-expected revenue for the second quarter amid increasing competition and reduced food stamp coverage.   The company’s net income was $306.52 million, or $1.08 per share, in the quarter, compared to net income of $282.35 million, or $0.95 per share, in the year-ago period.   Net sales increased 5.8% to $5.39 billion, compared to $5.10 billion last year.