Data & Analytics

Neuhausen, Switzerland - Tyco Retail Solutions, the retail performance and security business of Tyco, has acquired U.K.-based retail intelligence technology provider FootFall for $560 million in cash. FootFall provides end-to-end technology, services and retail analytics solutions to collect, measure, and analyze customer traffic in their stores and property portfolios.  

Spokane, Wash. – Automated water management solutions vendor Apana is trying to make saving water a little easier. Apana is generally releasing its cloud-based solution for commercial and industrial companies to save water and money.

New York – Simon Venture Group, the corporate investment arm of Simon Property Group, is among the companies saying yes to light-based data collection. Simon participated in a private funding round of $36 million led by Cisco Investments and including Acuity Brands and GE Ventures, for Sunnyvale, California-based Sensity Systems Inc.

Free flowing venture capital dollars in the digital age have made business incubators and accelerators commonplace, but until now the retail and consumer packaged goods industry didn’t have one it could call its own.

Hangzhou, China - Alibaba.com is moving to put concerns about the reliability of its suppliers to rest. The global e-commerce platform is upgrading its trade assurance program to give small-to-mid-sized businesses peace of mind when buying from overseas suppliers.

Bon-Ton Stores has hired a 30-year veteran of the retail industry as its chief operating officer.

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. has named William Tracy to the position of COO, effective July 27. Tracy will have responsibility for stores, information systems, supply chain, distribution & logistics, omnichannel strategy, real estate, and HR.

Austin, Texas – Parents are always telling their school-aged children that character is key, and they also apply a version of that maxim to back-to-school shopping. According to a recent survey by RetailMeNot, parents say their kids want school supplies featuring popular characters from films and TV shows.

Respondents indicated their children want "Minions"-themed school supplies the most (33%) followed by "Jurassic World" (31%), "SpongeBob" (24%) and "Star Wars" (22%).

Hoboken, N.J. – A new rival to Amazon.com has officially taken flight. Jet.com, a membership-based e-commerce platform that promises to beat Amazon Prime prices using “profit-free pricing,” launched as of July 21.

Jet says it sells millions of items, in sizes ranging from small to bulk. The site is specifically designed to compete with the Amazon Prime paid loyalty service, charging $49.99 for an annual membership fee (although it is currently offering an introductory free three-month trial).