Data & Analytics

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Accellos and HighJump Software, each global providers of supply chain management software and trading partner network technology, have agreed to merge, creating a vendor with 11,000 customers in 23 countries with operations in North America, Asia and Europe. The combination of Accellos and HighJump brings together a set of technologies, including networked trading partner connectivity, warehouse management, transportation management, and route delivery.

San Jose, Calif. – Consumers around the world are accepting of mobile technology and think technology should make payments easier and more connected, according to a recent 15-country survey from PayPal.

New York – In a regulatory filing, PetSmart disclosed that its board of directors is considering changes to the company’s capital structure in order to return more capital to shareholders. The disclosure follows a July 3 announcement by activist investor Jana Partners that it holds a 9.9% stake in PetSmart and plans to ask the retailer to explore various options, including a sale.

Retailers have long been urged to employ Big Data analysis to uncover big insights into how their business is performing, how their brand resonates among consumers, and whether their customer experience meets expectations. But the new trend in Big Data is applying much more refined analysis at the granular level to uncover small insights that can combine to reveal even larger truths.

By Jason Baker and Kenneth Katz, co-founders and principals, Baker Katz

EnTouch Controls, a provider of cloud-based energy management services, is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy and to that end has appointed William Rickman as its new director of national accounts.

Rickman has more than a decade of experience of selling cloud-based financial services and fraud prevention solutions to the restaurant and retail markets.

Bed Bath & Beyond plans to spend nearly $3 billion buying back its own stock during the next two years after weak results earlier this year prompted a sell-off in the company’s shares.

Nearly 2,000 Home Depot stores in the U.S. began offering a wide range of connected home devices that run on the Wink platform on July 7.

The Wink platform unites close to 60 devices, creating the broadest set of connected home products in one ecosystem, with fifteen leading manufacturers of home products ranging from light bulbs and locks to window shades, irrigation systems and water heaters, according to Wink and Home Depot.

Off-price department store retailer Gordmans Stores is still without a full-time CEO, but the retailer did just fill two key marketing and e-commerce positions.

The Omaha-based apparel and home decor retailer named Amy Starr Myers to the role of SVP of marketing and Stacey Townsend was named vp and general manager of e-commerce to launch Gordman’s online sales effort.