Data & Analytics

New York – Most consumers base their grocery purchase decisions on very basic information. According to new research from data analytics solution provider Precima, 80% of U.S. shoppers choose their primary grocery store based on everyday prices, with two-thirds (65%) stating that the everyday (regular/non-sale) prices of staple items such as milk and eggs most influence their price perception of a grocery retailer.

Time is often considered the most precious resource of all, because once it is spent, it can never be replenished. While there is no way to create new time, retailers can reduce the amount of time spent on such tasks as scheduling and payroll with automated workforce management technology. And as the old saying goes, time equals money.

Most retailers are reducing their footprints, but not Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM). In fact, the retailer is doing just the opposite and has opened the nation’s largest home furnishings store. Located in the new 433-acre mixed-use development, Grandscape in The Colony, Texas, the two-level NFM has a whopping 560,000 sq. ft. of selling space. Including an on-site warehouse, the space totals more than 1.8 million sq. ft.

The store sells 100,000 products, ranging from very high-end items to value offerings, with another 500,000 items in stock in the warehouse.

Taking proactive approach can save energy, costs

Unexpected heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system repairs or breakdowns can result in unplanned store downtime or customer comfort issues for retail stores. With comfort such an important part of the customer experience, one that can impact sales, HVAC systems are indeed a critical component for retail stores.

In addition, HVAC systems are one of the largest sources of energy consumption in retail stores.

Saks Fifth Avenue reduces energy costs with LED retrofit

It’s often said that companies must spend money to make money, and this is true of investments in energy efficiency.

Dedham, Mass. - Reflexis Systems Inc. has successfully implemented its products in more than 20 retail, QSR (quick-service restaurant), and convenience store chains at the regional, national, and global level, across five continents during the first half of the 2015 calendar year. The solutions include Reflexis Task Manager, Reflexis Workforce Manager, ReflexisPlus, Advanced Analytics and Reporting, and Time and Attendance.

San Francisco -- Pinterest on Tuesday officially started its foray into e-commerce.

The social networking giant has started rolling out a “buy it” button on its pins on iPhone and iPad apps.  It also is launching new shop categories, including "Shop our picks," a curated selection of seasonal goods, and "Shop" for the latest buyable Pins.

New York -- The off-price segment is on fire, but newcomers to the sector should watch out, warns a report by Moody’s Investors Service.

The U.S. off-price apparel and home products segment continues to grow rapidly as consumers who developed a taste for cheaply priced luxury goods during the recession keep up their hunt for bargains, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report.

St. Louis -- Ikea is expanding in the Midwest.

The chain will open a store in St. Louis on Sept. 30. It will be the Swedish company’s first store in Missouri, and 41st in the United States.  

The 380,000-sq.-ft. St. Louis Ikea is being built on 21 acres along Interstate-64 at Vandeventer Avenue. It will house Missouri’s largest rooftop solar array, consistent with the Ikea renewable energy presence at 90% of its U.S. locations.

E-commerce infrastructure and cybersecurity initiatives. HVAC equipment upgrades and energy management systems. These days, retail CFOs must allocate capital expenditures to an ever-growing list of components — not all visible to the public but critical to corporate health. And while the role of the retail CFO has broadened considerably in recent years, becoming more strategic and more integral to business decision-making, capex spending remains a top item on their agenda.

“The CFO’s role in prioritizing investments, in what gets done, is still there.