Data & Analytics

DALLAS — Bon-Ton is turning to PeopleAnswers to help the company improve retail sales and lower employee turnover. Under the terms of a five-year software licensing agreement, the company will leverage PeopleAnswers’ HR-focused business solution to achieve its goals.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples was hurt by a stronger dollar and weak same-store sales in North America and Europe. 

The office products company reported that its first-quarter profit for the period ended May 4 was $169.9 million, down from $187.1 million in the year-ago period. Its results missed Wall Street forecasts.

Total sales fell 3.5% to $5.81 billion, also falling short of estimates. In North America, same-store sales were down 2% on weak demand for computers, software and technology accessories.

MAIDENHEAD, U.K. — SDL, a global company that helps brands maximize their online business, has released a cloud-based solution for e-commerce marketers called SDL Fredhopper 7.5. 

SDL Fredhopper 7.5 allows e-commerce marketers to modify their online stores based on new trends, consumer behavior and commercial drivers. Marketers can, therefore, use the tool to adapt an entire product catalog and target specific shoppers.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dannon is leveraging IBM's cloud-based predictive analytics in an attempt claim the number one spot, currently held by Chobani, in the $7 billion U.S. yogurt market. 

PHOENIX — PetSmart reported a net income of $102 million for the first quarter ended May 5, a 7.4% increase from $95 million during the same period last year.

Total sales increased 5% to $1.7 billion, while comparable store sales grew 3.5%, benefitting from comparable transactions growth of 0.8%. 

Memphis – AutoZone reported net sales of $2.2 billion for third quarter fiscal 2013, representing a 4.5% increase from $2.1 billion during the same period in fiscal 2012. Meanwhile, net income increased almost 7% from $248.6 million to $265.6 million. Same store sales experienced a slight 0.1% dip compared to third quarter fiscal 2012.

Menlo Park, Calif. - Google will close down its Google Checkout online payment service for good in November of this year. The online service and technology provider says the move is part of a broader transition to its Google Wallet multichannel commerce platform.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is testing a video streaming service with internal employees. Called Target Ticket beta, the service features 15,000 movies and TV shows for digital download.

The service, which is password-protected, presumably is designed to compete with Netflix and Hulu, among other digital video platforms.

San Francisco – Pinterest, the social sharing network that many retailers use to promote products, is allowing users to share more information with their pins. Pins may now include data such as pricing, availability and where to buy products, recipe information and detailed information about movies.

So far, retailers including Home Depot, Anthropologie, eBay, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Wal-Mart are partnering with Pinterest to make more product information available on pins originating from their e-commerce sites.

San Diego – Tommy Bahama is employing the IT Service Automation Application Suite from cloud-based IT services provider ServiceNow to automate IT functions such as incident management, change management, problem management, configuration management database and service catalog. The specialty apparel brand is also using the SaaS-based Orchestrate solution from ServiceNow to streamline the hiring and training process.