Data & Analytics

BOULDER, Colo. — Kraft is leveraging mobile technology to increase its relevance as the proliferation of smartphones changes the way consumers shop. It has selected NeoMedia as an approved vendor for mobile barcode management solutions, and now holds a worldwide, non-exclusive license to NeoMedia’s patents related to mobile barcode resolution.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Crosman Corporation, an international designer, manufacturer and marketer of a wide range of products for the shooting sports, has named Lenn Phegley as its VP of manufacturing. Phegley replaces Dan Schultz, who retired after 39 years of service.  

In his new position, Phegley will oversee all manufacturing operations, as well as the company’s environmental, health and safety, manufacturing engineering, design engineering and quality assurance functions.

San Antonio -- The grocery industry, for the most part, lags in using online shopper insights for shopper and competitive advantage, according to a study developed in partnership with BeaconUnited, a national grocery broker, and ArchPoint Consulting, and powered by business intelligence firm Black Pearl Intelligence. Grocery-related social media conversations are now estimated at 10 million annually, yet many grocers are still slow to respond, the study found.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the Conference Board showed that consumer confidence rose in November to the highest level in more than four years.

The confidence index climbed to 73.7, the highest since February 2008, from a revised 73.1 reading the prior month, indicating that U.S. household spending will keep growing.

A median forecast of 75 economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected a reading of 73.

Chicago -- ShopperTrak reported Tuesday that it estimates retail foot traffic over the Black Weekend shopping period rose 8.2% year-over-year. That equates to more than 594 million store visits between Thursday and Monday.

Retail sales increased 2.7%, with shoppers spending about $22 billion across the weekend's four days. Thursday's "door-buster" deals drove sales and traffic earlier in the weekend.    

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus Group reported Tuesday that earnings for the first quarter rose to $127.8 million, compared with $122.8 million in the year-ago period.

Sales rose to $1.07 billion for the quarter, from $1.00 billion last year. Same-store sales climbed 5.4%.

New York -- Cyber Monday continues its importance, driving a nearly 22% increase in year-over-year online sales, Chase reported Tuesday as part of its latest Holiday Pulse report. Monday sales beat Sunday, the next highest day, by a margin of 26.7%.

Build-A-Bear Workshop has gone high-tech. The company has unveiled a new store environment that combines its signature hands-on bear-making experience with innovative digital technology designed to appeal to today’s tech-savvy kids.

Heating and air-conditioning systems are major targets for reducing energy use in retail stores. It’s easy to see why: Together, heating and cooling systems consume approximately 38% of the energy used in such facilities (according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program).

By Kumar Venkataraman

Over the last decade, America’s Atlantic shores have faced the wrath of more than a dozen hurricanes, causing damage worth several billion dollars. Year after year, retailers have been learning and fine-tuning their strategies to respond to the critical needs of consumers in the impacted areas, both in preparing for a disaster and immediately after.