Data & Analytics

Rite Aid's pharmacy and front-end divisions helped the retailer post a 4.3% gain in same store sales for March. 

Despite bad publicity from a “60 Minutes” report alleging carcinogens in some of the hardwood it sells, Lumber Liquidators increased sales in the first quarter of 2015.

A top digital marketing executive heaped praise on Walmart’s digital efforts at an industry event attended by executives from Amazon, eBay, Alibaba and Google who are more accustomed to such praise.

Walmart is one of my e-commerce heroes,” said Jason Goldberg, group vice president of commerce strategy with Razorfish. That’s high praise from a key executive with one of the world’s top digital marketing agencies.

New York – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reportedly asking suppliers to cut their product costs and also seeking to expand its grocery business. According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart is recommending that suppliers forego investing in joint marketing programs with the retailer and use that savings to reduce the price Wal-Mart pays for their goods.
 

By Rich Thompson, JLL
 
Port problems on the West coast are giving retailers more than just a headache; it’s more like a severe case of sea sickness. But diversifying supply chain strategies can take the edge off.

Seattle – Some observers thought it might be an April Fools prank, but Amazon.com has officially released its Amazon Dash mobile ordering device for AmazonFresh customers. Chain Store Age readers had no confusion as we first reported the pilot of Dash in April 2014, but here is a brief primer of how Dash works.

Hosuton - Fashion accessories retailer Charming Charlie recently expanded its relationship with Stored Value Solutions (SVS) to offer e-commerce distribution of digital gift cards. Charming Charlie originally associated with SVS in 2012 for gift card processing in their more than 340 stores across the U.S.

Since introducing online access to digital eCards to complement the availability of physical cards, Charming Charlie gift cards purchased online during the winter holiday season grew by an exponential rate year-over-year.

Hong Kong – Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has appointed Yu Yongfu as president of the company’s online marketing unit, Alimama, to spearhead the business into new areas of growth. Yongfu joined Alibaba Group in June 2014 to lead the company’s mobile business unit.

Prior to joining Alibaba Group, Yongfu was chief executive of Chinese mobile browser company UCWeb. UCWeb was acquired by Alibaba Group in June 2014. Yongfu will begin his new position today and will report to Daniel Zhang, Alibaba Group’s COO.

Washington, D.C. – President Barack Obama has signed an executive order creating sanctions for cybercriminals who engage in crimes against the U.S. from foreign locations. The order allows the U.S. to impose sanctions on individuals who harm critical infrastructure, damage computer systems, or steal trade secrets, and sensitive information through cyberattacks based outside the U.S.

The order does not specify what type of sanctions can be imposed.

Armonk, N.Y. – There is a significant perception gap between how well businesses think they are marketing and the actual customer's experience. A U.S. study of 276 marketers and more than 1,100 consumers, developed by Econsultancy for IBM found that almost 90% of marketers agree that personalizing the customer experience is critical to their success.

Despite this widespread agreement, nearly 80% of consumers stated that the average brand doesn't understand them as an individual.