Data & Analytics

Seattle -- T-Mobile US Inc. is introducing "T-Mobile Test Drive," a program that lets people receive an iPhone 5s and unlimited nationwide service to take T-Mobile's network for a seven-day free trial. Starting June 23, people can sign up for T-Mobile Test Drive online.

In his first full quarter as CEO of the nation’s largest supermarket retailer, Rodney McMullen had the pleasure of reporting sales and profits that exceeded estimates and increasing the growth forecast for a company that was already poised to surpass annual sales of sales of $100 billion.

Increasing strength in Pier 1 Imports’ e-commerce business translated into better-than-expected sales that fueled the company’s overall financial results for the first quarter.

Total sales for the quarter were $419.1 million, a 6.1% increase versus $394.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Comparable sales increased 6.3% during the quarter, driven by increases in total brand traffic, conversion and higher average ticket. E-commerce sales exceeded the company’s estimates, reaching 9% of sales for the quarter.

AutoZone shares have traded above $500 for most of the year but the company remains an aggressive purchaser of its own stock and recently authorized the expenditure of $750 million to buy even more shares.

The recent authorization brings the total amount the company has spent buying back stock to $14.9 billion since the program began in 1998. AutoZone does not pay a dividend.

L’Oréal Paris has unveiled a free mobile app called Makeup Genius that allows users to try on products in real time by using advanced facial mapping technology.

Users can also scan a L'Oréal Paris product or advertisement to detect a color match, virtually try on individual products or test out curated looks from expert makeup artists, and share with friends and family on Facebook.
 

Omnichannel pricing solution provider Clear Demand and pricing intelligence leader 360pi have formed a partnership to put powerful new capabilities into the hands of retailers.

Skechers USA has filed a lawsuit against Reebok International for selling footwear that, according to Skechers, infringes on its Go Walk product line.

The suit, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, seeks compensatory and punitive damages as well as injunctive relief for infringing on Skechers’ patent and trade dress rights and for unfair competition. The suit states that Reebok is selling the infringing products under the name Reebok Walk Ahead RS.

St. Louis -- Indoor retail mapping platform Aisle411 will provide indoor mapping services to Indianapolis-based Marsh Supermarkets. The retailer seeks to improve the shopping experience for its customers by leveraging the navigation platform via its new Marsh App.

By Jason Christoff, PE, LEED AP BD+C

The way business is executed within the retail construction industry may never be the same. The Great Recession is finally behind us, but it has changed how retailers deliver stores, as well as how architecture and engineering professionals design them. The A/E delivery model is constantly being reimagined to meet the needs of the changing market, but typically not as quickly or drastically as within the last five years.
 

Seattle – The new Amazon Fire smartphone, introduced at an invitation-only press conference on June 18, includes features specifically designed to encourage shopping on Amazon.com. Most significantly, a feature known as Firefly can recognize 100 million items, including physical objects such as CDs as well as barcodes and QR codes. It is the first smartphone Amazon has produced on its own.