Data & Analytics

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?
When Two Systems are a Crowd

Canadian retailer Jersey City unifies store and online operations
Learning and Helping

SuperSaturday raises IT awareness and funds for kids in need
Of the many reasons retail IT professionals attend the annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Convention & Expo each January in New York City, keeping current with all the latest industry topics and trends is surely at the top. Each year, RetailROI independently offers SuperSaturday, a one-day event held the Saturday before the official Sunday kickoff to the NRF Convention.
A Return on Hope
Disappearing Shrink

Family Dollar cuts loss with chainwide rollout of RF-based EAS technology
Shrink is an unavoidable fact of life for retailers. But by leveraging electronic article surveillance (EAS) technology that places security tags on items, retailers can minimize the frequency and financial impact of shrink.
Retail Forecast: Steady As She Goes

Steady as she goes. That old nautical phrase, urging a firm hand on the wheel and an unwavering eye on the compass, seems apt for today’s retailers. While economic waters remain troubled, an improved economic forecast promises retailers a smoother route to profitability in 2014.
HSN’s Retail Evolution

To describe the HSN of today as a TV shopping channel is both woefully dated and reductive. The company, a division of HSNi, has evolved into a multichannel leader, where digital commerce accounts for a whopping 50% of its $2.2 billion in annual sales.
HSN’s 24/7 shopping format, which bowed in 1981, now seems positively prescient amid the rise of e-commerce.
Changing of the Guard: The Millennials

The 80 million strong Gen Y is a retail force to be reckoned with
A generational shift is afoot that’s about to upend the retail landscape.