Data & Analytics

It’s no secret that the rise of mobile devices is empowering consumers and altering the way they shop. But mobile isn’t just changing the game for consumers. It’s also empowering chain stores to take advantage of those behavior changes to strengthen customer relationships and distinguish the in-store experience.  

Here are five simple ways that chain stores can take advantage of mobile devices like tablets to enhance and differentiate the in-store experience and drive sales:

Walmart is appealing to suppliers – even those who don’t sell it merchandise – to share their complete product catalog with the company in the name of providing shoppers accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive information.

The goal of a new pilot program according to a blog post on Walmartlabs.com written by global head of content acquisition, Ram Rampalli, is to solve a universal problem by delivering exceptional product content.

Seattle – Amazon.com is heading east with its Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosted cloud computing platform – all the way to India.

AWS will launch an “infrastructure region” in India in 2016, meaning customers there will have access to locally based hosted cloud services.

Boot Barn has taken a significant step forward in its e-commerce strategy now that its acquisition of Sheplers is complete.

E-commerce infrastructure and cybersecurity initiatives. HVAC equipment upgrades and energy management systems. These days, retail CFOs must allocate capital expenditures to an ever-growing list of components — not all visible to the public but critical to corporate health. And while the role of the retail CFO has broadened considerably in recent years, becoming more strategic and more integral to business decision-making, capex spending remains a top item on their agenda.

“The CFO’s role in prioritizing investments, in what gets done, is still there.

New York -- The off-price segment is on fire, but newcomers to the sector should watch out, warns a report by Moody’s Investors Service.

The U.S. off-price apparel and home products segment continues to grow rapidly as consumers who developed a taste for cheaply priced luxury goods during the recession keep up their hunt for bargains, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, the nation’s leading fabric and craft specialty retailer, has announced two significant organizational changes in the merchandising and marketing areas.

Megan Featherston, formerly senior vice president, merchandising, at Jo-Ann, has been promoted to executive vice president, merchandising & marketing. In her new role, Megan will oversee the retailer’s merchandising, marketing, Joann.com and business intelligence and analytics teams.

San Jose, Calif. – PayPal Inc, which came under public scrutiny and criticism after announcing a new privacy policy that would require users to allow prerecorded or automated “robocalls” and texts, has backpedaled on that requirement.

In a statement posted on the PayPal site, general counsel and company secretary Louise Pentland cleared up “confusion” around the new policy, which takes effect July 1.