Data & Analytics

Scottsdale, Ariz. - Retailers and consumer goods manufacturers are spending to improve their omnichannel sales capabilities. While this may not be surprising given the current business environment, a new report prepared for JDA Software Group Inc. by PwC, “The Omnichannel Fulfillment Imperative,” reveals that only 16% of companies say, the present time, they can fulfill omnichannel demand profitably.

Santa Barbara, Calif. - The Walking Company, has selected Epicor Retail solutions to support a more personalized in-store customer experience. The retailer has deployed Epicor Retail CRM 7.0 to support the launch of its new loyalty program, and Epicor Retail Clienteling to support improved store associate/customer engagement.

The Walking Company is also rolling out the Epicor Retail Store Point of Sale (POS) solution across its 210-plus store retail enterprise.

Alexandria, Va. - A majority of Americans say they are optimistic about the economy and low gas prices are driving the optimism. Overall, survey results released by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) shows that 52% of Americans are optimistic about the economy, an eight-point jump from March.

Orlando, Fla. - Olive Garden has entered into an agreement with Ziosk to begin the introduction of tabletop tablets in all of its restaurants nationwide. Olive Garden has been testing Ziosk in a select number of its restaurants since 2014, and the feedback from guests and servers has been positive.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc. has collected 450 million ink and toner cartridges for recycling in the U.S. since 2005, averaging more than 60 million cartridges per year for the past four years. Through the cartridge recycling program, Staples has helped recover and recycle 234 million pounds of plastics and metals, diverting roughly the weight of 8,000 full garbage trucks from landfills.

Pittsburgh – As part of a wide-ranging fiscal update, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. is updating its fiscal 2017 sales target to $8.7 billion to $9 billion. The retailer also expects to open 135-150 namesake stores during the next three years, up from the 603 stores it operated at the end of 2014, focusing on new and underserved markets.  

Dick’s Sporting Goods plans to spend $850 million over the next three years to add as many as 150 stores while growing total sales to as much as $9 billion with e-commerce contributing more than $1 billion.

With Earth Day upon the retail industry all sorts of operators are touting accomplishments, including Staples where an impressive milestone demonstrates how a company can do well by doing good.

The company said it has collected more than 450 million ink and toner cartridges for recycling in the U.S. since 2005, averaging more than 60 million cartridges per year for the past four years. Through the cartridge recycling program, Staples has helped recover and recycle 234 million pounds of plastics and metals, diverting roughly the weight of 8,000 full garbage trucks from landfills.

Despite lower gas prices and an increase in the average age of U.S. cars on the road, Pep Boys posted a wider loss in the fourth quarter.

The auto parts chain had a loss of $26.7 million, or 50 cents a share, vs. a loss of $3.33 million, or 6 cents a share, a year earlier. The latest results included a net charge of $12.4 million for write-downs and severance expenses.

Who hasn’t prematurely hit the send button on an email? However, when it happened to a JCPenney executive who disclosed first quarter same store sales to an analyst, it begs the larger question of why the pair were even having a conversation about sales with two weeks left in the quarter.