Data & Analytics

CHICAGO, Ill. — Mercent, a leading technology company that enables retailers to reach and convert more shoppers online, has signed a strategic partnership with Shop.com, the e-commerce arm of Market America. 

This latest partnership expands Mercent’s portfolio of online shopping destinations supported by its SaaS platform and offers leading retailers the ability to market and sell to millions of consumers on the Shop.com third-party marketplace.

SAN ANTONIO — CST Brands, the parent company of Corner Store and Dépanneur du Coin, has appointed Denise Incandela, EVP and CMO at Saks Fifth Avenue, to its board. She becomes the tenth member of a board chaired by CST president and CEO Kim Bowers. 

At Saks, Incandela oversees Saks Direct and Saks Fifth Avenue’s marketing programs, including advertising, sales promotions, loyalty, digital marketing, social media, customer analytics and market research.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — On the heels of reporting net revenues of $123 million for the first quarter ended May 4 — an increase of 5% from $117.2 million in the first quarter of the year prior — Vera Bradley has announced that CEO Michael C. Ray plans to retire from the company.

Ray informed the company's board of directors that he will remain CEO through the transition period and intends to continue to serve as a director. The board has formed a search committee and retained Spencer Stuart to assist in the search for Ray's successor. 

HAMPSTEAD, Md. — JoS. A. Bank Clothiers’ reported net income for the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 of $8.1 million, a 45% fall from $14.8 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2012.

Total sales for the first quarter decreased 2.6% to $196.1 million from $201.4 million in year-ago period.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble has grouped its global business units into four industry-based sectors and placed Martin Riant, Deborah A. Henretta, David S. Taylor and Giovanni Ciserani as global heads of each to support the company’s current growth strategies.

Chatsworth, Calif. -- Provision Interactive Technologies has entered into a multi-year partnership with Rite Aid Corp. to install Provision’s 3D Reward Centers kiosks inside select Rite Aid stores. The kiosks will generate 3D holographic videos as well as exclusive wellness+ information and Rite Aid promotions.

New York -- Debra Jensen, CIO of Charlotte Russe, will share how this 500-store fashion retailer leverages real-time POS data to make decisions that drive profitable growth in a Chain Store Age Webinar on June 6, at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT).

Hear how SAP HANA-based analytics is providing Charlotte Russe with up-to-the-moment, early indicators of sales velocity, margin and inventory position as well as other key metrics. To register, click here.

Topeka, Kan. -- Popular industry wisdom holds that channel alignment is mainly for the benefit of the consumer, who desires a seamless retail experience and does not want have to start from scratch every time they engage with a retailer via a new channel. While this holds true, channel alignment is also a crucial strategic and tactical necessity for back-end operations.

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM on Tuesday strengthened its position in the fast-growing market for cloud-computing services with the news that it has entered into an agreement to acquire SoftLayer Technologies Inc. The Dallas-based firm is the world's largest privately held cloud computing infrastructure provider, according to IBM.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. But reports, including one by the New York Times, valued it at approximately $2 billion,

By Kevin Kiziah, asd-usa.com

Technology upgrades and new technology installations are a necessary part of business for chain stores, but updating or installing technology at multiple sites can be an overwhelming undertaking. Technology rollouts are especially intimidating for chain stores with hundreds, or even thousands, of locations spread across a wide geographic area.