Data & Analytics

Marina Del Rey, Calif. -- Guidance, an e-commerce design and development agency, announced the launch of a responsive website for Gearys Beverly Hills, which specializes in fine china, crystal, silver, gifts, jewelry, and watches.

Guidance provided e-commerce, mobile & responsive design, UX consulting, web development, integration, and hosting & managed services for the new site built on the Magento Enterprise 1.13 platform.

By Nicole Chen, brand outreach associate and Michael Olmstead, director, Plug and Play Retail

In today’s day and age, technology pervades into every aspect of our lives. With an emphasis on the fast and easy, nearly all of our day-to-day transactions are now being condensed and expressed through technological gateways. With new trends appearing in the startup space and technology industry every day, it is often difficult to choose what is a good investment and what may turn out to be a dud.

Necessity is the predominant motivation behind shoe purchasing for men, and their brand loyalty is strong and steady, according to Men’s Footwear Brand Focus Study 2014, the latest report from global information provider, The NPD Group.

This attitude, however, shows signs of evolving, given that men are increasingly embracing fashion and newness in their footwear.

Nordstrom is partnering with Curalate to launch Like2Buy, a platform that aims to offer consumers a more seamless shopping experience via Instagram.

New York -- Amazon.com announced Monday that it had agreed to acquire video game streaming site Twitch for $970 million in cash.

The deal comes after reports that Google was set to acquire the streaming site.

New York -- Walmart announced in a post on its corporate blog that its store-brand MasterCard holders can expect to receive a new chip-enabled card in the "next few weeks." The discounter said it is among the first retailers to implement chip technology as a more secure payment means for cardholders. It also noted in the post that Sam's CLub introduced a chip-enabled MasterCard in June. Both cards prompt customers not to swipe – but to insert and briefly leave the card in the payment terminal, so the card’s embedded chip can be accessed.

Walldorf, Germany – Retailers should consider waiting until August to launch back-to-school promotions and focus them heavily on online shoppers. According to new data from SAP, consumer sentiment toward back-to-school advertising doesn’t become positive till the end of July.

Orlando, Fla. -- Florida's retail development market is moving indoors. According to JLL research, nearly half of all retail commercial construction in Florida in the half of 2014 is taking place in malls and shopping centers.

Chicago – QVC received top ranking in the Mobile Customer Experience Index from The E-tailing Group. QVC scored 84.17 on a 100-point scale, with the average score being 71.5.

Emeryville, Calif. -- Jamba Inc., operators of Jamba Juice stores, reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate its move to an asset-light model with the announcement that the company has entered into an agreement with Capgemini, a leader provider of consulting, technology, and outsourcing services. The agreement provides enhanced administrative tools, technology services, and capabilities for Jamba, and is anticipated to create workflow efficiencies while reducing costs as the brand pursues a 10%-20% reduction of overall G&A in 2015.