Data & Analytics

The nation’s largest mattress retailer has launched new web and mobile commerce sites which rely on a cloud-based solution to support future growth.

Burlington, Mass. -- Sleepy’s, one of the nation’s leading mattress retailers,  has deployed  a cloud commerce platform as the backbone of its digital operations. The company has launched new web and mobile commerce sites new web and mobile commerce sites on the Demandware platform. Sleepy's switched from an on-premise platform to Demandware's cloud solution as part of a strategic move to advance its omni-channel initiatives and provide consumers with consistent experiences across all channels, including web, mobile and the physical store.

Crossmark, a leading sales and marketing services company, has elevated president and COO Ben Fischer to the CEO spot, effective April 7. He will succeed Joe Crafton, who is retiring after 26 years of service with the company.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Tuesday reported a profit of $754 million for the second quarter, down from $756 million in the year-ago period, amid lower sales of generic drugs. The retailer also said it will close 76 locations in the second half, although it plans to increase its total store count by 55 to 75 by the end of the year.

Sales for the quarter ended Feb. 28 rose 5.1% to $19.6 billion, beating expectations. Prescription sales, which accounted for 62.2% of sales in the quarter, increased 7.0%.

I recently attended the 2014 SPECS (Store Planning, Equipment, Construction Services) conference in Grapevine, Texas, and came away with some fascinating food for thought. The event, which is produced by Chain Store Age, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

Newton, Mass. – Clark’s Americas Inc., a division of the global shoe brand with more than 300 stores in the U.S., is deploying the Yottaa Engagement Cloud to optimize user engagement and business performance on its U.S. e-commerce site. In fall 2013, the e-commerce team at the Americas division of Clarks sought a solution that could help scale and provide a consistent, engaging Web experience throughout the busy holiday shopping season and beyond.

Boston -- The single biggest challenge for retailers is to understand, empower and represent the digitally empowered consumer across all touch points, according to new research from Oracle.

Gordmans Stores president and CEO Jeff Gordman has resigned his post. According to the company, he is retiring to spend more time with his family as well as to pursue outside interests. Board chairman T. Scott King will serve as interim CEO while the company searches for Gordman’s successor.