Data & Analytics

Burberry is teaming up with top-flight partners including movie studio Dreamworks and Google to deliver next-generation marketing campaigns that include interactive 3-D displays and real-time video promotions. [Media Post]

At CVS Health’s annual Analyst Day held Wednesday here, Helena Foulkes, CVS/pharmacy president, shared significant details on the progress CVS Health has made to drive growth in its stores.

Pier 1 Imports says it is still confident in its omnichannel strategy despite a mostly flat third quarter in which the company struggled with the same soft store traffic impacting many other retailers.

For the third quarter ended Nov. 28, the specialty retailer said same store sales decreased 0.7%. Total sales decreased 2.5% (a 1.4% decrease on a constant currency basis) to $472.5 million, compared to $484.5 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income $10.92 million, or 13 cents a share, vs. a profit of $17.86 million, or 20 cents a share, a year ago.

2015 has been a good year for e-commerce. Alibaba shattered records on Singles Day with $14.3 billion in sales. India witnessed a boom in e-commerce investment from companies looking to win the millions of new smartphone users. Even the Girl Scouts joined the digital mix, rolling out version 2.0 of their Digital Cookie program to boost their online cookie sales.

The demise of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. elevated the retail vacancy rate along central New Jersey’s major shopping corridors to 8.8% from 7.5% in 2014.

That’s according to the latest study by R.J. Brunelli & Co. Despite the uptick, the region’s 2015 vacancy factor remained a healthy distance from the 10.2% recorded in 2013 and the eight-year high of 10.5% set in 2011, but was well above the period’s low point of 4.8% posted in 2008.

I remember something a retailer once said to me more than 25 years ago, long before digital mattered. It’s still true today: if the product’s not right, nothing matters. If the product is right, everything matters. That everything now includes staying ahead of the consumer digitally. We’ve gone from a generation that saw technology as a skill, to one that doesn’t see it at all – it’s so natural it's become instinct. This shopper lives in a world where digital doesn’t just define shopping habits - it defines the way they live.

The next five years will see continued consumer adoption of advanced technology drastically alter how retail is conducted.

According to a new study from Fujitsu Americas, 50% of retail will be automated by 2020. Advancements in enterprise technology, supported by Big Data playing a larger behind-the-scenes role, will allow retailers to offer enhanced front-end experiences using mobile platforms, smart sensors and social media.

Food Lion is launching an omnichannel coupon initiative that combines fun with savings.

Now through Jan. 1, customers can access digital coupons through the Shazam smartphone app while shopping in Food Lion stores. Food Lion has partnered with interactive marketing firm Mood Media Corp. on the campaign.