Data & Analytics

Coppel, Texas -- The Container Store on Tuesday posted a 0.8% decline in same-store sales in the first quarter, its first decline in the metric in 16 quarters.

“We thought our sluggish sales were all because of weather and calendar shifts that began last November and continued into the spring, but now we’ve come to realize it’s more than weather and calendar. Consistent with so many of our fellow retailers, we are experiencing a retail ‘funk,’” said Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO.

With the official start of summer underway, one-third of small to medium-size business owners (SMBs) say they will not be able to take a vacation this year, according to the latest Small Business Index conducted by Office Depot.

Those who are able to get away this year can do so because they have reliable staff to cover for them while they are away from the office (35%) and have technology that keeps them connected no matter where they are (32%).

eBags.com, a leading online retailer of bags and accessories, has launched a Back-to-School Bag Finder, which filters more than 5,000 backpacks to help shoppers find “the perfect bag for school.”

Shoppers can choose from 100 brands, including JanSport, Dakine, Herschel, and The North Face, and filter by bag type, color or customer opinion.

Washington, D.C. - Shop.org is adding two new members to its board of directors and welcoming back eight members that currently serve on the board. Each member will serve a two-year term.

New Shop.org Board members:

• Bryon Colby, senior VP of digital commerce, Cornerstone Brands/HSNi; and
• Deepika Pandey, group VP, customer experience, direct and digital marketing, Walgreen Co.

What if you could replicate the physical in-store experience on the web? The concept sounds incredibly powerful. Retailers could connect product experts with key audiences to demonstrate and sell physical products, just like in-store. The ubiquitous “Can I help you?” chat windows are a pale reflection, at best, of a truly interactive customer experience. It’s impossible to convey the intricate details that make a brand and its products unique in a text-only window.

Atlanta – Following Staples’ expansion of its Staples Connect home and office automation platform to 500 stores, The Home Depot is making Wink-enabled connected home products available for purchase in its nearly 2,000 U.S. stores and online.

By Jason Peck, Director of Marketing, Canvas

Business adoption of new technologies often flows from their personal use. This certainly applies to mobile apps and devices. The ability to download an app in seconds, share photos and data via the cloud in real-time, and communicate from any location at any time have evolved from “nice to have” to “need to have.”

New York - Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC has named Monica Schwartz as chief global digital and e-commerce officer. In this newly created position, Schwartz will oversee all aspects of global e-commerce and digital strategies for the stuartweitzman.com platforms in the United States, Canada, Europe and Hong Kong, as well as the soon-to-be-launched e-commerce site in China.