Data & Analytics

Same-store sales literally fell off a cliff at Citi Trends in the waning days of the fourth quarter and the operator of 522 urban fashion stores is attributing the weakness to the federal government.

Same store sales literally fell off a cliff at Citi Trends in the waning days of the fourth quarter and the operator of 522 urban fashion stores is attributing the weakness to the federal government.

One of the major components of J.C. Penney's transformation strategy is getting a boost this week when the retailer launches its new Belle + Sky collection aimed at millennials.

Beauty consumers are increasingly turning to mobile and social technology in their seamless shopping experiences.

According to a new study from Mintel, 45% of U.S. beauty consumers prefer to search for product information in-store rather than ask for assistance from a sales associate. Another 39% are interested in using or have used a store-provided tablet to research available beauty products.

Sixteen percent of in-store beauty customers go as far to purposely shop where sales associates will leave them alone.

Surpassing $3 billion in annual sales last year was a big deal for Skechers and now CEO Robert Greenberg is banking on the addition of more than 300 new stores to help the company set another sales record in 2016.

Skechers plans to open between 330 and 340 stores this year, projecting it will have a year-end total of 1,650 locations, of which 575 will be company owned. The accelerated pace of expansion is easy to understand given the powerful contribution the company’s physical footprint had on its fourth quarter and full year sales and profit performance.

Retail industry sales will grow an estimated 3.1% in 2016, outpacing the 10 year industry average, as economic headwinds diminish, according to a forecast released by the National Retail Federation.

The NRF sales forecast of 3.1% excludes automobiles, gas stations and restaurants and exceeds the 10 year growth rate of 2.7%. Non-store retail sales are forecast to growth between 6% and 9%.

In a sign that omnichannel is becoming more important to Nike’s business, the vertical specialty athletic retailer has named Adam Sussman as its first chief digital officer.

Sussman will report to Trevor Edwards, president of Nike brand.

Prior to joining Nike, Sussman held multiple positions in the interactive gaming and entertainment industries, including EA Mobile and Disney Interactive. He has worked in areas including general management, marketing, strategic planning and digital product commercialization.

While the digital technologies supporting omnichannel commerce often replace store associates, Saks Fifth Avenue is enhancing its human element.

Saks is leveraging Salesfloor, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that connects local retail sales associates with online shoppers for a more personalized customer experience. The suite of desktop and mobile Salesfloor solution enable in-store associates to provide customer service and sell products across web, mobile and social channels.