Data & Analytics

Coppell, Texas – Alco Stores, Inc. will voluntarily delist its common stock from the Nasdaq Stock Market on or about Oct. 31, 2013. The delisting of the company's shares is subject to stockholder approval of the proposed merger with an affiliate of Argonne Capital Group, LLC.

Plano, Texas – J.C. Penney Co. has reportedly been defending itself against anonymous allegations made on Twitter. According to Bloomberg, J.C. Penney recently had to publicly deny tweets saying the company had hired a bankruptcy attorney and no longer had Canadian credit.

One-third (33%) of U.S. families are making less money as a result of job loss, moving to a part-time job and/or working at a lower-paying job, which may have an impact on holiday shopping.

In addition, according to three recent consumer surveys from America’s Research Group (ARG), 40% of parents are trying to save as much money as they can for their children's college education, 38% of families did not take a vacation this year of four days or longer, and 44% of parents will do most of their back-to-school apparel shopping in December when the deals are better.

New York - Despite having more data and insights into consumer desires and preferences, companies in the U.S. have failed to meaningfully improve customer satisfaction or reverse rising switching rates among their customers. As a result, there is a potential $1.3 trillion of revenue at play in the U.S. market represented by the ‘switching economy’, according to new research released by Accenture.

eBay has introduced a set of new features that make browsing and buying on the site a more personalized experience. The company is also accelerating its efforts in local commerce and plans to extend its eBay Now delivery service to 25 markets by the end of 2014, including Chicago.

Southport, Conn. -- ShopRoxx, a retail store specializing in the latest fun-and-fresh fashion trends for young women, has chosen eWay Direct’s Calibr email platform to deliver more high-value repeat customers and better overall ROI for 2014.

RadioShack posted a net loss of $112 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2013, compared to a net loss of $47 million in the year-ago period. It was the retailer’s seventh straight quarter posting a net loss.

The company also named Paul Rutenis, formerly senior VP, general merchandising manager for the home division of J.C. Penney Company, as its new chief merchant.

New York -- Amazon.com has raised its free shipping minimum from $25 to $35. The change, which applies to orders shipped to U.S. addresses, took effect Tuesday, just ahead of the holiday shopping season.

"This is the first time in more than a decade that Amazon has altered the minimum order for free shipping in the U.S.,” the online giant said in a brief post on its website. “During that time, we have expanded free shipping selection by millions of items across all 40 product categories."