Data & Analytics

iBeacons, the Apple iOS 7 technological feature that uses low-frequency Bluetooth transmissions to help mobile devices track their position relative to stationary beacons, are getting quite a bit of attention from retailers and the IT vendors who serve them. Each beacon has a unique ID that lets mobile devices tell different beacons apart.

I recently attended the 2014 SPECS (Store Planning, Equipment, Construction Services) conference in Grapevine, Texas, and came away with some fascinating food for thought. The event, which is produced by Chain Store Age, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

New York -- Kohl’s Corp.’s chief merchandising officer, Donald A. Brennan, resigned his position, effective as of April 1, 2014. Kohl's disclosed Brennan's departure in a filing this week with securities regulators.

Under a separation agreement with the department-store operator, Brennan will receive a one-time severance payment equal to 2.9 times his annual salary plus the average of the three most-recent annual incentive compensation plan payments paid to him, according to a regulatory filing.

Florham Park, N.J. -- Kalibrate Technologies (formerly KSS Fuels) announced that convenience-store operator Wawa has purchased the Kalibrate PriceNet fuel pricing system and will implement a roll-out across the chain’s entire network of 382 fuel sites.

Wawa will utilize the full capabilities of PriceNet, which includes 24/7 automation of pricing, full integration to the sites, robust analytics to determine optimal pump prices and mobile functionality on smartphones and tablets.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Tuesday reported a profit of $754 million for the second quarter, down from $756 million in the year-ago period, amid lower sales of generic drugs. The retailer also said it will close 76 locations in the second half, although it plans to increase its total store count by 55 to 75 by the end of the year.

Sales for the quarter ended Feb. 28 rose 5.1% to $19.6 billion, beating expectations. Prescription sales, which accounted for 62.2% of sales in the quarter, increased 7.0%.

The nation’s largest mattress retailer has launched new web and mobile commerce sites which rely on a cloud-based solution to support future growth.

The ability to integrate more data from more sources faster than ever to accelerate decision-making forms the core value proposition of an the new SAS Customer Intelligence solution unveiled this week at the software company’s Global Forum.
 

Balance Innovations has appointed Al Ruth as EVP of technology innovation.

Ruth is a veteran of the retail technology industry with 17 years of experience managing data warehouse database solutions and customer support for top-tier retail accounts. In this role, Ruth will be responsible for providing technical perspective in sales efforts, working with the account management team and driving key innovation efforts.

Last month, Amazon started hiding listings for certain products if they do not have a GTIN, better known as the Universal Product Code (UPC). Now eBay, Google and Walmart have endorsed a drive to help businesses obtain valid GTINs for products sold online.

Both are significant developments in a larger trend, as major e-commerce players look to dramatically reduce the number of inaccuracies that online shoppers encounter every day.
 

Although fourth-quarter sales at J. Crew increased, the retailer saw profit drop 42% in the quarter amid higher costs.

Net income fell to $5.92 million in the quarter, down from $10.2 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue increased 6.7% to $686.2 million. Retail store sales rose 5% to $438.6 million and direct sales jumped 10% to $238.1 million

Same-store sales, which include direct sales, increased 3%. Excluding a calendar shift, comparable-store sales increased 4%.