Data & Analytics

Two events converged by 2010 that fundamentally changed how consumers shop and how retailers sell.
 
The first was that the world was enmeshed in a deep recession triggered by the collapse of financial markets in 2008. The second was that the world was going through a refresh cycle for consumer mobile phones. What happened next rocked the retail industry.
 

Two events converged by 2010 that fundamentally changed how consumers shop and how retailers sell.
 
The first was that the world was enmeshed in a deep recession triggered by the collapse of financial markets in 2008. The second was that the world was going through a refresh cycle for consumer mobile phones. What happened next rocked the retail industry.
 

Criminals have reportedly been targeting some Walmart stores with credit card skimming devices illicitly placed on POS terminals.

According to the Krebs on Security blog, the skimmers are designed to overlay legitimate self-payment card readers manufactured by Ingenico and have been found at Walmart locations in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Fort Wright, Kentucky.
 

Specialty outdoor retailer Cabela’s Inc. is deploying POS hardware and software from Ingenico Group to make the final step of the in-store shopping process as safe and seamless as possible.

Sidney, Nebraska-based Cabela’s is using Ingenico ISC Touch 250 smart terminals at its 80-plus U.S. and Canadian stores. The POS stations offer a full range of upselling/cross-selling capabilities, such as the ability to display digital advertisements, videos and gift card promotions.

Tiffany & Co. missed Wall Street expectations for profit and revenue in a lackluster start to fiscal 2016, but still plans to open 11 new stores worldwide.

The retailer reported net earnings of $87 million during the first quarter, down 17% from $105 million the same period a year earlier. Lower gross profit and higher selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses drove the reduction in profit.

Specialty apparel retailer Express Inc. did not reach Wall Street expectations with declining profit and flat sales in a generally sluggish first quarter of fiscal 2016.
 
Net income slipped 1% to $12.9 million from $13.1 million in the same quarter the previous fiscal year. Outlet- and IT-related expense growth helped drive down profit.

Net sales stayed essentially flat at $502.9 million, compared to $502.4 million a year earlier. Same-store sales fell 3%, including a 1% dip in e-commerce sales.
 

Cameron Geiger, senior VP, Walmart technology, has been appointed to the GS1 U.S. board of governors.

He will help guide the GS1 U.S. strategy for driving adoption and usage of GS1 standards within the retail industry. GS1 standards are used to uniquely identify products, services and locations globally.

Temperatures in the East will be somewhat similar to last year while the West will trend cooler than last year. Rainfall will be greater across the Northwest, meanwhile across the Ohio Valley and interior Northeast, we may begin to see the start of a long-term drying trend.