Data & Analytics

The nation’s leading automotive retailer ended its most recent fiscal year the same way it has for the past nine years – with double-digit profit growth and a favorable outlook for the coming year.

Kohl’s has been busy on the omnichannel front during 2015, and the retailer is now taking its efforts into high gear.

On Tuesday, the retailer announced several new omnichannel shopping tools, and said it will also pilot same-day delivery in select markets.

The upcoming Oct. 1 deadline for retailers to accept EMV-compliant, chip-based payment cards or face increased fraud liability mandates that retailers read card information stored in chips. However, the mandate does not specify whether the card be further verified by a PIN number or customer signature, and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has a clear preference.

Consumers looking for arts and crafts online may soon have a new destination. According to The Street, Amazon.com is readying the launch of Handmade at Amazon, an online marketplace of handcrafted goods that should serve as a major new competitor for Etsy Inc.

Reports of Amazon’s plans for Handmade at Amazon initially surfaced in May, but Amazon is now displaying product and seller pages, although there is no e-commerce functionality yet. An Amazon spokesperson only said “Stay tuned” when asked about a launch date for Handmade at Amazon.

Flipkart, a leading Indian online marketplace, is naming three new technology executives with experience at some major global retail and IT firms.

The Retail Industry Leaders Alliance (RILA) is refuting public claims about retailers lagging behind banks and card networks in transitioning to EMV compliance. Randy Vanderhook, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance, said in a San Diego Union Tribune article that although consumers have largely been issued EMV-compliant chip cards, retailers have not been activating terminals or completing chip migration.

Learn how Saks Fifth Avenue reduced its energy use by 23% and saved millions of dollars—with no adverse impact on the customer experience — at a Webinar on Thursday, September 24, 2015, at 2 p.m. (EST). Hear first-hand how Saks is adding to its bottom line by reduced energy consumption.

Gary Levitan, senior manager of energy and utilities for Saks’ parent Hudson’s Bay Company will explain how the retailer used data to win budget approval for energy efficiency projects — and build longer-term energy plans.



In the 1970s, Saturday Night Live had a cast of comedians that were called the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players.” In 2015, U.S. retailers have a cast of customers that could be called the “Not Ready for EMV Payers.”