Data & Analytics

QVC to open first West Coast distribution center
QVC is ramping up its distribution network on the West Coast with a new, state of the art facility in Ontario, Calif.

The multichannel retailer plans to open a West Coast distribution hub there in 2016. As QVC ramps up operations, the center is expected to employ more than 500 team members by 2018. QVC anticipates hiring approximately 1,000 team members in total by 2020 as the distribution center expands fulfillment to all product categories.
Staples' back-to-school blitz continues
The latest back-to-school promotion from Staples includes deeper discounts, a free trip to California for 50 students, and a new TV advertising campaign.

“This is our 29th back-to-school season at Staples. We’re using or knowledge and expertise to help parents, students and teachers get 110% ready for school with our lowest price guarantee,” Parneros said. “Whether shopping on Staples.com or in our stores with our amazing associates, Staples makes it easy to shop for students in elementary school through college.”

Casey’s prepares for CEO transition

Ankeny, Iowa - Casey’s General Stores Inc. is set to have its first new CEO in more than a quarter-century. After more than 26 years with the company, Robert J. Myers, chairman and CEO, will retire as CEO at the end of the 2016 fiscal year on April 30, 2016.
Oracle fulfills orders in the cloud

Redwood Shores, Calif. – Oracle is enabling retailers to fulfill orders in the cloud with two new product releases on the Oracle Supply Chain Management Cloud platform. The two solutions, Oracle Order Management Cloud and Oracle Global Order Promising Cloud, provide modern order promising, management, visibility and fulfillment capabilities.
Survey: More than half of smartphone users have this OS

Pittsburgh – Retailers wondering which smartphone operating systems they should support with their mobile and omnichannel programs can reach more than half of all users with a single OS.

In the second quarter of 2015, 52% of all smartphone shoppers used iOS 8, according to the Branding Brand Mobile Commerce Index. iOS 8 also generated 56% of all smartphone revenue in second quarter 2015.
More customers, fewer profits?

Retailers are investing heavily in their supply chains in order to cope with surging e-commerce volumes, but customer experience enhancements must be planned carefully if profitability is to be maintained.
Elephant Bar herds loyalty members

Dallas – The Elephant Bar casual dining chain is herding loyalty members as they approach local stores.

The 29-unit retailer has deployed the Paytronix Geofencing solution to send messages designed to compel visits from members of its rewards program when they are within a set proximity to a restaurant.
In a review of three recent campaigns, Elephant Bar determined that approximately 30% of members visited a restaurant on the day that they received a geofencing message.
Plug and Play’s CEO Corner: Ruchika Kumar, SKU IQ

Meet Ruchika Kumar, CEO of SKU IQ, a tech-start-up participating in business accelerator Plug and Play's retail accelerator that matches retailers with complementary technology solutions.

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Ascena downgrades 2015 outlook

Mahwah, N.J. - Ascena Retail Group Inc. has downgraded several aspects of its outlook for fiscal 2015, which ends July 25. Ascena now expects full-year adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations in the range of $365 million to $375 million, and full-year adjusted earnings per diluted share from continuing operations in the range of $0.57 to $0.60, as compared to its prior expectation of $0.70 to $0.75 per share
Gallup: Consumers say ‘meh’ to digital wallets

Washington, D.C. – Despite all the hype surrounding Apple Pay and other digital wallet solutions, so far consumer response to the digital wallet phenomenon has been one big shrug of the shoulders.

Gallup analysis shows that only 13% of U.S. adults with a smartphone have a digital wallet on their device.
Tech Guest Viewpoint: Integrating Retail Mobile Apps With Core Business Processes

When building and deploying mobile apps, retail and distribution firms have employed a variety of approaches, including custom app builds, cloud-based DIY app builder tools, and in some cases, building their own enterprise app stores. No matter what path is chosen, businesses involved in all aspects of retail are turning their attention to applications that can improve the productivity and efficiency of an increasingly mobile workforce.
Shoes.com still in growth mode

Shoes.com is laucnhing new efforts to make the shopping experience more convenient and accessible for customers on the go.

The company has launched a refreshed, mobile responsive OnlineShoes.com website and iOS app, designed to keep up with customer demand and enhance the mobile shopping experience for customers. The company will also release a mobile app for the Android platform that will debut later this summer.