Data & Analytics

Founded in 2007, Julep is a fast-growing omnichannel beauty brand that takes a social approach to product development. The brand, which is perhaps best known for its monthly beauty box delivery program, has raised $30 million in Series C financing.

New investors Azure Capital, Madrona Venture Group and Altimeter Capital, as well as existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and Maveron, participated in the round. The new investment brings Julep's total venture funding to $56 million.

Warmer spring weather spurred continued consumer spending and activity this March. According to the National Retail Federation, March retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, increased 0.8% adjusted month-to-month and 1.6% unadjusted year-over-year.

Levi Strauss & Co. has named former Walmart executive Marc Rosen as EVP and president of global e-commerce, effective May 5. Rosen will report to president and CEO Chip Bergh.

To help customers save water and grow its sales in the process Home Depot will execute a massive customer education initiative later this month.

Home Depot regularly holds in store clinics to arm customers with knowledge to tackle home improvement project and its newest initiative applies that thought process to a less familiar merchandise classification. On Saturday, April 26, every one of Home Depot’s 1,977 U.S. stores will host an hour and a half long “Water Conservation Workshop,” in which 10 home improvement projects will be covered.

Michael Howe was named CEO at Minneapolis-based Verify Corp., a software provider with solutions focused on supply chain security and brand protection and consumer engagement and loyalty promotions.

Howe has served in various executive leadership positions with Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Unilever, Arby’s and MinuteClinic. As CEO of MinuteClinic, Howe facilitated the national expansion of the business from 19 clinics in two markets to more than 525 clinics in 27 states. Most recently, he has served as chairman at Smart Receipt and DRX.

HSN recognized the ExactTarget Marketing Cloud from salesforce.com (CRM) as its “Strategic Digital Alliance” partner for the year for transforming the company’s digital marketing program. The company was honored at HSN’s 4th annual awards gala in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The National Retail Federation is moving forward with the creation of a program that will provide retailers access to information on cybersecurity threats identified by retailers, government and law enforcement agencies and partners in the financial services sector.

The program, developed in consultation with the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), will launch with the establishment of an information-sharing platform for retail industry information security specialists, and plans call for a retail ISAC to be established in June.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples has partnered with 3D Systems, a leading provider of 3D content-to-print solutions, to test 3D printing services in two stores in New York and Los Angeles.

Each store features a 3D printing center that lets consumers and small businesses create personalized products and use 3D printing hardware. Customers can also bring in their own 3D print-ready files to have them printed.

Time Warner Cable’s flagship in Manhattan offers shoppers a customer-centric, digitally savvy experience, complete with a large video wall, interactive product demos, a digital fireplace, and several large 21" tablets that combine product learning with internet browsing.

New York – Total U.S. retail sales during 2013 reportedly reached $4.53 trillion, a 4.2% increase from$4.35 billion in 2012. According to new data from EMarketer, e-commerce sales of $263.3 billion, up 16.9% from $225.3 billion the prior year, helped drive overall retail sales growth.

Non-e-commerce sales totaled about $4.27 billion, a 3.5% increase from $4.12 billion in 2012. In 2014, EMarketer predicts that e-commerce sales in rhe U.S. will grow 15.5% to total $304.1 billion, or 6.4% of total retail sales of $4.73 billion.