Data & Analytics

With a tremendous swath of the retail economy moving to or exclusively launching online, is the traditional role of the brick-and-mortar salesperson becoming obsolete?

Studies show consumers consistently gather information and make educated decisions when making everyday purchases through online research at home or via mobile comparison shopping. In fact, today the Internet influences more than half (52%) of U.S. retail sales – and is expected to grow to 64% by end of 2015.

Walmart wants to use drones to check warehouse inventory and assist with curbside pickup and delivery services, and has applied for permission from regulators to do so, according to CNBC. “Drones have a lot of potential to further connect our vast network of stores, distribution centers, fulfillment centers and transportation fleet,” company spokesman Dan Toporek told CNBC. “There is a Walmart within five miles of 70% of the U.S.

The latest case of reported retail POS fraud highlights the need for EMV adoption.

Regional convenience chain Casey’s General Stores Inc., which operates 1,887 stores in 14 states, has confirmed that credit card skimming devices were discovered at six of its stores in Nebraska and one store in Iowa.

Fresh on the heels of its announced $17.2 billion acquisition of Rite Aid, Walgreens Boots Alliance reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $26 million and a boost in same store sales.

Net sales climbed almost 50% to $28.5 billion during the quarter, which ended August 31.

Retail is a lot like real estate – it’s all about location, location, location.

At least this is the conclusion of the fourth annual Mobile Path to Purchase study from location-based marketing provider xAd. The 2015 report reveals that 35% of U.S. shoppers who researched their impending purchases on their mobile device expect to buy within the hour.

In addition, those who research goods and services on the go are nearly twice as likely to purchase within the hour than those at home, and have a greater likelihood to convert in store.

When it comes to respecting their privacy, consumers are less than satisfied with the retailers they shop.

According to analysis of social sentiment of more than 220,000 consumers by Capgemini Group, “Privacy Please: Why Retailers Need to Rethink Personalization,” 93% of all consumer sentiment on retail privacy was negative

Consumers are making more e-commerce transactions, and smartphones are helping to drive growth.

According to the new Q3 2015 Performance Index report from e-commerce technology platform MarketLive, e-commerce sales continue to improve across all retailer categories (apparel, beauty, home furnishings, catalog, brick-and-mortar, and brand-direct), and across all major performance metrics. These include revenues (+13.5%), traffic (+19.8%), and average order value (+3.9% to $158).

IBM is looking to give retailers an edge in dealing with the effects of the weather, with help from the Internet of Things (IoT).

The technology firm has entered into an agreement to acquire The Weather Company’s B2B, mobile and cloud-based web properties, including WSI, weather.com, Weather Underground and The Weather Company brand.