Data & Analytics

The National Retail Federation has joined the growing chorus of voices expecting a surge in consumer spending during the next five months to compensate for a weak start to the year.

Washington, D.C. -- Slower-than-expected growth during the first half of the year caused the National Retail Federation to lower its retail sales forecast for 2014. NRF said it now expects sales will grow 3.6% in 2014, down from its earlier forecast of 4.1%. The group joined other industry experts in forecasting a pick-up in activity in the next five months.  

Lowe's has launched new products for its Iris smart home solution. The move comes three weeks after Staples threw its hat into the connected home space with its own platform.

The home improvement company has added a smart garage door controller, electronic pet door, window blinds controller and hose faucet timer to make it easier to cut energy costs, reduce water usage and keep the home secure while consumers balance active summer schedules.

Macy’s has announced a series of new initiatives in its multi-year strategic program to enhance environmental sustainability. They are consistent with the company’s sustainability principles first adopted in 2008 and implemented with increasing intensity during the past six years.

Results through 2013 include a 38% reduction in the company’s electricity usage since 2002 and a 95% adoption rate of recycled or certified paper used in the company’s marketing materials.

San Francisco – StubHub, the online ticket resale platform operated by EBay, has reportedly been hacked by a global organized fraud ring. According to Reuters, cyber thieves obtained user credentials used on other sites and then used them to gain access to StubHub accounts and make fraudulent purchases.

Whirlpool Corporation reported net sales of about $4.7 billion in the second quarter of 2014, virtually unchanged from the company's performance in the same quarter last year.

Net sales for the three months ended June 30 totaled $4.68 billion, down 1.4% from $4.75 billion in 2013.

The company's bottom line read $179 million for the quarter, down from $198 million in the second quarter of last year.

By Tyler Roye, Co-founder and CEO, eGifter

The retail industry is awash with digital innovations, but traditional paid search programs continue to dominate retailers’ digital marketing tactics, according to the 2014 Shop.org/Forrester Research State of Retailing Online study.