Data & Analytics

Things are looking good for Supervalu, which reported fourth quarter fiscal 2014 net sales of $4 billion, up 1.4%, and net earnings of $26 million, or $0.10 per diluted share.

"Fiscal 2014 was an important transition year for Supervalu as we stabilized the organization and set the foundation for our future,” stated Sam Duncan, Supervalu president and CEO. “I am pleased with the direction of our business segments and look forward to the new fiscal year where we can focus our attention on driving sales growth across the organization.”

As retail executives, our people come first: finding, training, mentoring, helping them grow to get to the next level and realize a fulfilling career in an industry we love. Our people are absolutely crucial to delivering on customer expectations. And, as we all know, those expectations only continue to rise.

Usage of Facebook’s social media platform continued to expand during the first quarter with mobile advertising now accounting for 59% of the company’s revenue.

Facebook’s revenues grew 72% to $2.5 billion from $1.5 billion and earnings increased to 25 cents a share from 9 cents a share with operating margins expanding to 43% from 26%. The company also highlighted the fact that mobile advertising revenue now accounts for 59% of total revenue compared to 30% during the same period the prior year.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- These days, virtually everyone is a cross-channel shopper: 95% of consumers frequently or occasionally shop a retailer's website and store, according to a recent survey by CFI Group that was sponsored by eBay Enterprise.

The study, “Omni-Channel Insights,” reveals that consumers expect exceptional service, while having the convenience of seamless in-store and online shopping.

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM said Tuesday that its Watson unit has invested in Fluid, a digital commerce firm, to develop personalized shopping applications using IBM’s cognitive computing tools.

New York – Nine basic attack patterns that vary from industry to industry are the source of 92% of the 100,000 security incidents analyzed by Verizon since 2004.

Austin, Texas - RetailMeNot, Inc. has reached a strategic partnership agreement with General Growth Properties Inc. (GGP), a real estate investment trust focused exclusively on owning, managing, leasing and developing retail properties throughout the U.S. RetailMeNot will be the preferred digital coupon provider across GGP malls.

Oak Brook, Ill. – McDonald’s Corp. reported net income of $1.2 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, a 5.5% decline from $1.27 billion in the same quarter a year earlier. Total revenues grew 1% to $6.7 billion, from $6.2 billion.

Plano, Texas – Rent-A-Center Inc. reported declining net earnings for first quarter 2014, even as revenues slightly grew. The company said it plans to optimize its U.S. store footprint by consolidating about 150 stores into existing stores by the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2014.

Net earnings fell 37% to $28.9 million from $46.1 million, while total revenues increased 1.8% to $833.7 million from $819.3 million. Same-store sales dropped 0.8%.

Atlanta - InReality, a customer experience strategy and design firm, is offering a retail customer experience measurement tool called Reality Gap Analysis. Reality Gap Analysis delivers a quantifiable assessment of the gaps between a brand's self-perception and a customer's reality.