Data & Analytics

Francesca’s sales results for the fourth quarter were below its revised guidance, thanks in part to extreme weather conditions, which forced the company to fully or partially close 370 boutiques during January.

Atlanta -- Crowd-sourced delivery company Kanga has launched a new iPhone and Android app that will place on-demand delivery options in the hands of local customers. The first market to pilot the on-demand shipping solution is Kanga’s home base of Atlanta.

The solution, which leverages crowd-sourced labor, is designed to connect customers and retailers with local delivery drivers.

Following a disappointing fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Feb. 1, Toys “R” Us hosted investors, industry analysts and the media and outlined its strategy for improving its operational performance and driving profitable growth in the future.

Yonkers, N.Y. -- Thousands of subscribers to the world's largest independent product-testing organization weighed in on grocery shopping via Consumer Reports’ latest survey – and gave Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Publix, Costco and Sprouts the highest scores overall among 55 of the nation's major grocery stores.

Walmart landed at the bottom of the ratings, based on a survey of the 27, 208 subscribers.

With Apple’s introduction of Airdrop and iBeacon, shopping mall owners, retailers and brands have turned to Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (BLE) and the newest class of location-based mobile advertising opportunities enabled by the technology. As a leading company invested in delivering mobile ubiquity by integrating Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC and QR, Mobiquity Technologies has release of its partner software development kit (SDK) designed to allow retailers and brands to leverage Mobiquity Networks’ Bluetooth LE Beacon network.

Boston -- Furniture and home décor retailer Z Gallerie has deployed Oracle Commerce to  improve conversion and basket size.

In August 2013, Z Gallerie went live with Oracle Commerce, resulting in more relevant content, improved navigation and better ease-of-use regardless of the device customers use to access the site. The full implementation was completed quickly and sales from on-site search have dramatically increased.

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.