Data & Analytics

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe's has launched a dedicated fleet of natural gas-powered trucks at its regional distribution center in Mount Vernon, Texas. The fleet is among the first serving a major retail distribution center in North America to run solely on natural gas.

With the transition from a diesel-fueled fleet to trucks powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), Lowe's expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nearly 20%  and control fuel costs as it transports up to 68 truckloads each day to stores in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.

Washington, D.C. – Many online retailers are starting or have started their holiday preparations early this year. According to Shop.org’s eHoliday survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, 74% of online retailers had started preparing for the 2013 holiday season by July of this year, and 51% plan to start their holiday promotions by Halloween.

Minneapolis – Supervalu Inc. beat Wall Street estimates with second quarter fiscal 2014 net earnings of $40 million, compared to a $111 million loss in the year-ago period.

The supermarket operator reported net sales of $3.95 billion, up 0.2% from $3.94 billion last year.

Same-store sales results varied by banner. Same-store sales in the Save-A-Lot network were negative 0.3, while same-store sales for corporate stores within the Save-A-Lot network were positive 4.6% and were negative 0.9% in the Retail Food segment.

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com reported year-over-year gains in net income and revenue during the third quarter of fiscal 2013, which the company partially attributed to growing participation in its Club O paid loyalty program.

Net income increased 31% from $2.7 million to $3.5 million, while revenue grew 18% from $255.4 million to $301.4 million. The growth in net revenue was primarily due to a 16% increase in average order size, from $147 in third quarter 2012 to $170 in third quarter 2013, coupled with a 2% increase in orders.

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS/pharmacy is launching myWeekly Ad, a digital circular powered by the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program. The new circular serves up a personalized version of the sales ad for each customer.

Upon signing up, each user will immediately see which of their favorite items are on sale that week, including frequently-bought items or deals in categories that might be of interest to that specific shopper. Personalized ExtraCare savings and rewards can also be found all in one place.

Phoenix – PetSmart Inc. has issued guidance for fiscal year 2013 for total sales growth of 3%-4%, as well as same-store sales growth of 3%-4%, compared to the prior fiscal year. PetSmart also slightly downgraded previous same-store sales guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2013 to 2.2%-2.5%, from previously issued guidance of 3%-4%.

Fremont, Calif. - ProSent Mobile is unveiling StyleChat, the company’s new visual-chat mobile app for fashion and style. StyleChat enables consumers to come together from anywhere to find fashion items, including online, in-store, or an existing closet, create looks on the digital style board, style collections, and visually chat with friends.  

Overstock.com’s growing Club O rewards program helped to drive 18% revenue growth and $3.5 million in net income for the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Supervalu’s renewed focus on driving sales and cash in all segments of its business seem to be paying off. The company has been working toward turning identical sales positive and posted net sales of $3.95 billion for the second quarter ended Sept. 7, up 0.2% from $3.94 billion for the prior-year quarter.

Scanbuy, a leading mobile engagement solutions provider, has released its quarterly trend report showing that it processed nearly 24 million mobile barcode and NFC scans in the third quarter this year, demonstrating continuing strong growth in usage and interest by mobile consumers.

Scanbuy’s trend reports analyze the traffic on the ScanLife mobile app. Highlights include: