Data & Analytics

Sport Chek has opened a digitally savvy flagship in the largest shopping mall in North America: West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The sporting goods retailer has woven interactive technology and digital installations throughout the 80,000-sq.-ft., two-level space, which is designed to offer an enhanced, personalized shopping experience that connects consumers to the sports they are passionate about.

In much the same way that warehouse club operators offer exclusive benefits to members so they upgrade to premium levels, Amazon continues to enrich offerings available to Prime members who pay an annual fee.

Education is the first step to safety

While debate goes on about the use of technology to reduce the potential for credit card fraud, there are basic operational steps that retailers can take now to protect customer data and minimize risk. And the starting point should be to draw up a statement of standard operating procedures (SOP) for everyone in the organization.

Over this year, four key trends will propel the industry down the path to more efficient payments.

New York -- As technology transforms multichannel retail into hyper-channel, “always-on” retailing, chains must emotionally connect with consumers as never before, according to Joseph Bona. Bona, president of branded environments for New York City-based brand agency/retail design firm CBX, is one of the featured speakers at Chain Store Age’s upcoming 50th annual SPECS conference,  March 9 -12, Grapevine, Texas.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. said it plans to close up to 1,100 stores, approximately one-fifth of its total, and also announced a disappointing holiday season and a wider quarterly loss. The shutterings will leave the chain, whose turnaround appears to be still far off, with over 4,000 locations, including more than 900 dealer franchise locations.

Speaking with Ron Goldstone, senior VP at Southfield, Mich.-based Farbman Group really got my juices flowing about the Midwest retail real estate marketplace — Michigan in particular. The state’s retail real estate market is an interesting candidate for closer study, simply because the Detroit dynamic, even in its extremes, gives us a valuable perspective on the national landscape:

Cape Town, South Africa -- South African retailer Woolworths has implemented MetricStream's Sustainability Performance Management Solution to capture and measure sustainability metrics and indicators around energy, water, soil, and waste management. The solution will also help Woolworths monitor supplier compliance with sustainability guidelines, and optimize the performance of the company's sustainability projects and initiatives.