Data & Analytics

Wilmington, N.C. -- National mobility equipment franchisor 101 Mobility is seeking to attract potential franchisees in the Kansas City, Mo., market. 101 Mobility has introduced geo-specific online advertising combined with SEO-rich organic content to reach potential Kansas City franchise candidates.

101 Mobility currently has 29 franchisees operating physical and online stores in 70 territories.

 

New York -- Chain Store Age invites retailers, design firms, architects and suppliers to submit entires for its 33rd annual Retail Store of the Year design competition.     For more information and an entry form, click here.   

Atif Rafiq was named to the newly created position of chief digital officer at McDonald’s after previously serving as general manager of Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon.

In his new role, Rafiq will lead McDonald's global digital strategy focusing on future growth in e-commerce, modernizing the restaurant experience and engaging with consumers across the digital landscape. Rafiq will report to chief brand officer Steve Easterbrook.

New York -- Shoppers in the United States are most likely to combine online and in-person sources when buying consumer electronics (70%), toys (66%), apparel (58%), and home appliances (57%), according to a new study by Gfk. At the low end of the omnichannel spectrum in the United States are cleaning products (14%), OTC medications (15%), and food and beverages (15%).

The study shows that, across 12 categories, 37% of U.S. shoppers – and 29% globally – are turning to both online and in-store shopping when making purchases.

Most retailers now have some sort of social presence, but too often it consists of having an account on popular social media networks and little more. Following are five examples of recent retail social media offerings that leverage social media’s unique ability to engage consumers, improve operations and boost profits.

American Eagle – ‘Rock Your Walk’

New York -- Instagram is adding advertising to its application. The popular photo-sharing app, which was acquired by Facebook last year, informed users about the change on its blog.   

The 2014 International CES will feature a new exhibit area called “FashionWare,” focused on the latest innovation in wearable technology, event organizers announced.

Scheduled for January 7-10 in Las Vegas, the CES show, the timing is right for the FashionWare concept because the worlds of apparel, accessories and technology are becoming integrated, so much so in fact that event organizers are planning a wearable technology fashion show.

By Pascale Juan, I Love Velvet

As the payments industry moves at lightning speed and technology changes rapidly, it can be a challenge to keep pace with the security payments and standards of the mobile payments industry. In addition, one of the most frustrating areas of mobile security is the challenge of navigating global security requirements. As a global brand, using mobile point-of-sale (MPOS) requires compliance with the differing security certifications and methods in various countries.