Data & Analytics

Adobe reports record Cyber Monday sales
Online sales on Cyber Monday increased by 16% to $2.29 billion compared to last year, according to Adobe’s Digital Index 2013, and a record 18.3% of those sales came from mobile devices — a surge of 80% compared to last year.

Consumer shopping preferences continued to shift online with Cyber Monday being the fifth day in a row of record-breaking online sales. While “brick and click” retailers dominated Thanksgiving weekend sales, Internet retailers generated the most sales on Cyber Monday with a 42% share.
E-commerce drives comp growth at Ascena
Ascena Retail Group, parent company of Lane Bryant, Dressbarn and Justice, may have just reported same store sales growth across all its formats and achieved Thanksgiving weekend sales objectives, but president and CEO David Jaffe remains cautious in his outlook for the remainder of the holiday season.

As so many other retailers have noted in recent weeks, Jaffe said this year’s highly competitive, promotional and compressed holiday season makes it difficult to know how the next few weeks will play out, despite the company’s recent performance.

BDO survey: Retailers using social media as part of holiday blitz

Chicago -- A majority (88%) of retailers are using social media as part of their 2013 holiday marketing blitz. But they still remain divided about mobile marketing, with only 38% using it this year, down from 50% in 2012.
Office Depot names Wendy’s exec as CFO

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot, formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, announced the appointment of Stephen Hare as executive VP and CFO, effective immediately. Hare replaces co-CFO Mike Newman, who has retired from the company, and interim Co-CFO Deb O’Connor, who has returned to her position as senior VP, finance and co-chief accounting officer.
Experian: Hispanics shop more online and are more responsive to mobile advertising

New York -- Hispanic adults are more frequently visiting retailer websites than the average online population, according to Experian Marketing Services.

During a 24-week period, from June 2013 through November 2013, Hispanics' market share of visits to Experian Marketing Services' Hitwise Retail 500 Websites was 21% higher on average than the online population. Further, the analysis found that this market share widened in October 2013 and continued to increase through November.
Surplus Retail Property in the Northeast

While owners and developers are redeveloping, expanding and beginning to plan new developments across the Northeast, property surpluses created by the recession remain. Where are these surpluses? How will they be disposed of? Chain Store Age asked Andy Graiser, co-president of A&G Realty Partners, to talk about disposition today in the Northeast. Graiser is a property disposition expert with more than 25 years of experience with retail real estate.
Characterize surplus retail real estate in the Northeast.
Optimizing Shopping Center Portfolios

Optimizing retail store portfolios and optimizing shopping center portfolios seem like two different things. In fact, the two tasks have similarities.
“To retailers, optimization is getting store deployment across the marketplace right,” explained Mike Makinen, COO with MPI, Mall Properties Inc., New York City. “We have a similar strategy. We have a mix of retailers within our shopping center portfolio, and we try to optimize the assortment of retailers, restaurants and service tenants within each center.”
Maximizing Success

Real estate’s role in portfolio optimization
Real estate plays a key role in optimizing retail store portfolios. Stores must have enough square footage but never too much. Portfolios must also match the number of stores across regions to customer demand.
“Portfolio optimization means reducing or adding store square footage and matching merchandising and inventory to customer demand in a trade area,” said Kenneth Katz, principal with Houston-based Baker Katz.
Intelligent Restroom Design

The right elements can promote cleanliness, operating efficiency — and customer loyalty
It pays for retail management to take a good look at their restrooms.
A recent national survey about public hand-washing behavior reveals that restrooms represent a powerhouse of customer perception and influence. According to the survey conducted by Bradley Corporation, 73% of consumers believe a bad rest-room indicates poor management of a business.
In addition:
Mad for Mannequins

Animated forms that smile and wink add tech twist
A must-see fashion exhibit at The Brooklyn Museum in New York City is doing double duty, offering a retrospective of the 30-year-plus career of avant-garde designer Jean Paul Gaultier, while also providing a showcase for a collection of show-stealing, crowd-pleasing mannequins. But what do mannequins in a museum exhibit have to do with retail?
Big Savings for REI

Data center retrofit cuts cooling costs by 93%
Retailers are constantly on the hunt for energy savings, and data centers offer huge potential: By 2020, data centers could consume 10% of all U.S. power, according to some experts. Here’s how outdoor gear and apparel retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) is working to reduce energy costs and its environmental footprint in this critical area of operations.
Keeping Technology ‘Out of House’ with ITO

Chain Store Age recently had the chance to discuss the increasing prevalence of information technology outsourcing (ITO) in the retail industry with Vijay Iyer, senior VP and global head at international technology and services provider HCL America Inc. Iyer explained how outsourcing various IT functions can help retailers better control technology cost and performance.
Is ITO becoming prevalent among retailers?