Data & Analytics

The latest autumn migration involves grocery chain Giant Eagle.

The Pittsburgh-based, 420-plus-store retailer is in the initial stages of overhauling its IT infrastructure with a hybrid cloud solution from IBM Cloud. The new solution, based on IBM Cloud's SoftLayer Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), is designed to provide Giant Eagle flexible, consumption-based pricing, as well as faster procurement and customized deployment of applications.

Barnes & Noble posted disappoint results for its second quarter, but sounded a positive note about holiday sales.

The company posted a wider-than-expected loss of $39.2 million, or 52 cents per share, for the quarter ended October 31, compared to a profit of $12.3 million, or 12 cents per share, a year ago.

Losses, adjusted to account for discontinued operations and severance costs related to the spinoff of its college bookstore division, were 28 cents per share.

Big Lots narrowed its loss in the third quarter as the retailer attracted more shoppers to its stores with new merchandising and marketing strategies.

For the period ended Oct. 31, Big Lots reported a loss of $1.5 million, or 3 cents a share, compared with $3.4 million, or 6 cents, a year earlier. Same store sales increased 2.6% Revenue edged up less than a percentage point to $1.12 billion.

American Express Serve announced this week that it and Rite Aid and Dollar General had joined forces to allow American Express Serve account holders to add money to their cards at the retailers’ locations around the country. The two companies join CVS/pharmacy, Family Dollar, Family Dollar, Walmart and 7-Eleven as places where customers can do a Free Cash Reload of their cards.

Despite significant publicity about consumer preferences for apps, retailers are focusing their mobile attention elsewhere.

According to a new study from Boston Retail Partners, “Mobile Commerce – The Future of Retail,” a leading 24% of retailers said a new or upgraded mobile website is their top commerce priority, double the 12% who listed a new or upgraded mobile app. Sixty-eight percent of retailers expect mobile sire revenue to increase by the end of the year, compared to 38% who expect mobile app revenue to grow by year’s end.

GameStop is upping the ante on rewards by allowing customers to use their reward points to save on the cost of fuel.

The retailer is partnering with the Excentus Corp. Fuel Rewards program to allow members to earn fuel savings from purchases made at thousands of participating merchants, retailers and restaurants nationwide.

One well-known technology provider takes the top spot in installed worldwide revenue for both retail software and retail software-as-a-service (SaaS).

According to a new study from IHL Group, “Total Retail Software Market,” Microsoft is ranked number one in both categories. IHL estimates the total worldwide retail software market is currently worth $44 billion and will grow 48% in the next five years. Microsoft’s share of retail software is estimated at $5.98 billion in installed revenue.

Dollar General Corp. missed Wall Street projections for sales in its third quarter, but the chain came out on top again in its earnings. It also named a permanent CFO.