Data & Analytics

San Jose – A new privacy policy which will take effect at PayPal Inc. on July 1 will require users to allow PayPal, its affiliates and service providers to contact them at provided telephone numbers via autodialed or prerecorded call or text message. While the policy prohibits PayPal from sharing user contact information with outside third parties, contracted billing and collection companies are permitted to use customer phone numbers.

Same store sales increased 2.1% at Rite Aid in May thanks in large part to growth in the retailer's pharmacy division.

San Jose, Calif. – The eBay Valet professional selling service will now accept high-end clothing in addition to shoes, handbags, electronics and other popular household items. eBay Valet provides features such as price estimates for potential buyers, taking professional pictures, and shipping.

eBay partnered with fashion blogger Garance Doré to officially debut the expansion of eBay Valet. Dore provided tips and tricks on what to sell and how to sell fashion items.

New York – Same-store sales generally showed modest growth in May 2015, on the whole meeting Wall Street analyst expectations. The apparel vertical in particular generally outperformed analyst predictions, although Gap, Banana Republic and Zumiez all reported negative same-store sales growth.

Following is a review of May same-store sales by vertical:

Apparel
Banana Republic: – 5%
The Buckle: 2.4%
Gap: – 6%
L Brands: 5%
Old Navy: 6%
Stein Mart: 1.9%

San Francisco - Visa Inc. and Verifone are launching a partnership that will enable retailers to offer their customers a more streamlined, secure purchase experience across digital and physical environments. As part of the partnership, Verifone will connect its POS gateway to Visa’s CyberSource global merchant payment management platform.

This will provide retailers with a single platform to protect customer payment data, mitigate fraud, and integrate digital and offline payment systems.

Lands’ End Inc. reported profit and sales declines in the first quarter as the retailer grappled with West Coast port delays and headwinds from foreign exchange rates.

Irving, Texas – Net income at the Michaels Companies Inc. skyrocketed 47% to $67 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 compared to $45 million in the same quarter a year earlier. A large drop in interest expense helped fuel strong profit growth.

Net sales climbed 2% to $1.08 billion, from $1.05 billion. Same-store sales rose 0.3%. Michaels said unfavorable weather and a strong U.S. dollar hindered sales growth.

Target.com won’t beat Amazon.com, but Target will by following three core philosophies the retailer’s top digital executive and Amazon.com alum Jason Goldberger shared with attendees at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exposition.