Data & Analytics

Boston – UsTrendy, a fashion e-commerce site with 20,000 designers from more than 100 countries posting their items for sale and receiving funding along with promotion for their clothing lines, is launching several new customer experience features in fourth quarter 2014.

These include:

Purchasers can customize clothing to fit by entering their measurements. They can also adjust the style of a garment, according to the designer’s choices.

San Jose, Calif. – Neighbrhds, a product of mobile marketing provider Urban Living Marketing, has recently released more than 50 apps, each focused on providing the user with local information tailored specifically to their neighborhood. Each app, named after its corresponding neighborhood, aims to provide residents and visitors with instant access to community events, local businesses and more.

While it might still be September, Toys “R” Us isn’t wasting any time announcing what they clearly consider to be some newsworthy changes set to take effect this holiday season.

By Dov Cohn, Bronto Software

By Francesca Nicasio, Retail Expert, Vend

Implementing rewards programs is a common best practice in retail for a host of reasons. These programs can increase sales, encourage repeat purchases, and can provide a wealth of data and insights into the shopping behaviors of customers.

Seattle – The retail industry is expected to benefit from mobile commerce, free shipping offers, in-store pickup promotions and e-commerce videos during the 2014 holiday season. According to global analytics and insights firm Blueocean Intelligence, the top six digital and social media trends that will drive sales for retailers in the upcoming holiday season are:

Mooresville, N.C. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Lowe's Companies Inc. the highest honor for industry leadership in its SmartWay Transport Partnership. Lowe's received a 2014 SmartWay Excellence Award for superior environmental performance in supply chain operations.

Coppell, Texas – An increase in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses driven by growing costs of advertising, new stores and store support helped Alco Stores Inc. swing to a net loss of $7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2014 from net earnings of $800,000 a year earlier.

Net sales dropped 6% to $110.7 million, from $117.7 million. Same-store sales declined 8.9%.

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R Us Inc. plans to hire 45,000 seasonal employees at its stores and distribution centers nationwide, more than doubling the company’s workforce, as it prepares for the 2014 holiday shopping season.

The positions include sales associates, stock crew and omnichannel fulfillment teams, as well as distribution center workers and department managers.

Steamboat Springs, Colo. - Point6, a manufacturer, distributor and retailer of performance-oriented socks, has implemented NetSuite's cloud-based business management suite that provides the company with capabilities to run its core business operations including financials, inventory management, order management, fulfillment and warehouse management. This modernization effort has helped Point6 streamline the order to cash business process.