Data & Analytics

Atlanta – Home Depot Inc.'s net income in the fourth-quarter edged down 0.8%, hurt by snow and severe cold and one less week in the period than a year ago. But cost costs helped its earnings to top estimates and the chain raised its quarterly dividend by 21%.

The very cold weather should boost sales this spring, the chain’s most important sales period of the year, as people repair homes damaged this winter, Home Depot said.

Duluth, Ga. - More than 77% of Americans would be less likely to return to a store if they experienced long checkout lines. According to a new study from Omnico Group, after eight minutes, Americans are likely to abandon the checkout line and leave the store with no purchase.

North Bergen, N.J. – Strong results in its e-commerce segment, along with growing same-store sales and income from Super Supplements stores acquired in the fourth quarter, helped boost the performance of Vitamin Shoppe Inc. during the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013. On a year-over-year basis, fourth quarter net income grew 15.9% to $11.2 million from $9.7 million.

Chicago – True Value Company reported declining earnings in the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013 even as sales moderately increased compared to the same periods a year earlier. The retailer posted quarterly earnings of $12.5 million, a decrease of 57% from $29.1 million for the same period a year ago.

Chantilly, Va. -- Hispanic consumers are outpacing non-Hispanics in their adoption of mobile, social and online sources for local shopping. According to BIA/Kelsey's Consumer Commerce Monitor study, nearly a quarter (23.6%) of Hispanic consumers reported they use tablets for local shopping, compared with 15.5% of non-Hispanics. And nearly half (48.5%) of Hispanic consumers use mobile devices for local shopping, compared with 32% of non-Hispanics.

Purchase, N.Y. – MasterCard and Syniverse are partnering to deliver a number of mobile and payment services for consumers to use when traveling abroad. The two companies are currently in pilot-phase for an opt-in service that will enable card transactions for users only when they have their mobile device switched on in a specific geolocation abroad.

Redmond, Wash. -- PlayNetwork, a leading innovator in branded entertainment media experiences, is expanding its global reach with the announcement of its new Hong Kong office.
 
The Hong Kong office joins PlayNetwork locations around the globe, with teams in London, England; Columbus, Ohio; Sherman Oaks, Calif.; New York City; and the company's corporate headquarters in Redmond, Wash.

By Catherine Tabor, CEO, Sparkfly

Beacons provide retailers with an opportunity to increase engagement and help direct the in-store experience, and they indicate a shift in many brands’ digital and in-store marketing and merchandising strategies. However, they need to be connected to other consumer touchpoints to deliver their full potential value to retailers.

Merging the Physical and Digital

Tokyo – Major Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has reportedly gone offline with no advance notice or explanation. According to NBC News, the Mt. Gox website is blank, its offices are closed, its Twitter account has deleted all tweets, and all trading has been halted.

Madison, Wis. --  Solomo Technology Inc. has launched Solomo Exchange 2.0, a comprehensive platform for location analytics and mobile engagement enabling rapid implementation and management of smart locations. With a smart location, retailers can activate devices and sensors to realize analytics, build and measure campaigns and enhance engagement across a facility, multi-floor building or entire organization. Consumers are given complete control of their personal identity and location information.