Data & Analytics

Louisville, Colo. -- QuikTrip is North America’s favorite convenience store chain, according to a study by Market Force Information, a leader in customer intelligence solutions. More than 5,000 consumers were polled for the study, designed to uncover which convenience stores consumers prefer and why.
 

New York – Department stores are increasingly using an omnichannel approach to meet the needs of consumers. According to the Digital IQ Index from digital intelligence provider L2, half of department stores offer shoppers a “click and collect” option, 68% allow in-store returns of online purchases, and 25% provide real-time store inventory.

Other notable findings include:

• Seventy-seven percent of department store brands offer a mobile app;

Apple Pay has some unique competitive advantages that should make it a major factor in the world of mobile commerce. Consumers pay by simply swiping their finger. Any credit card associated with a user’s existing iTunes account is automatically included, and adding a new card is as easy as snapping a photo with the phone’s camera. With more than 200 million existing iTunes accounts and a large base of iPhone devotees, consumer adoption of Apple Pay should grow quickly.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation give away so much money it is hard to keep track of it all and this was certainly evident during the holiday season.

On Thursday, the company announced another round of grants totaling $200,000 to 10 nonprofits groups as part of its “12 Days of Giving” Facebook campaign. Those grants mark the culmination of an innovating corporate giving campaign that integrated social media and resulted in a total of $1.5 million being awarded to 145 organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Austin, Texas -- Revionics announced that Niemann Foods, a chain of grocery, pet food, hardware, pharmacies and gas stations in the Midwest, has selected Revionics as its price optimization provider.

Revionics will be providing Niemann Foods with their SaaS-based price optimization solution, which includes robust price management, science-based optimization, forecasting, simulation and effectiveness measurement.

New York - India, China, and Malaysia are the top-ranked offshoring destinations. According to the 2014 Global Services Location Index (GSLI) from A.T. Kearney, India, China, and Malaysia remain the top three offshoring destinations, and Asia continues to dominate, with six of its countries among the top 10.

By Graeme Grant, president & COO, CQuotient

Technology and the proliferation of communications channels have significantly altered the way brands and retailers approach customer engagement. What was a “nice-to-have” strategy of coordinating messages across shopping channels only three years ago is now a “sink-or-swim” requirement for merchants. Consumers engage across every touch-point and demand that retailers have an omnichannel communication approach to complement their always-connected behaviors.

As Apple copes with record orders of its iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch, Amazon — which entered the smartphone ring back in June — is determined to stay in the competition by offering its Fire for 99 cents with a two-year contract.

Customers can purchase Fire on www.amazon.com, www.att.com and in AT&T stores nationwide.