Data & Analytics

San Jose, Calif. -- Retailers are cautiously optimistic about the 2013 holiday season, with 60% forecasting revenue growth in excess of 10%, in line with industry forecasts, according to a survey by Baynote, a provider of personalized customer experience solutions.

HH Gregg saw a significant improvement in its financial results for the three-month period ended June 30. Despite a net loss of $1.3 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, the specialty retailer narrowed the gap from a net loss of $5.7 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the comparable prior-year period. 

The decrease in net loss for the three month period ended June 30, 2013 was due, in part, to a comparable-store sales increase of 0.8%, offset by a decrease in gross profit as a percentage of net sales.

ATLANTA, Ga. — Vir2o, a new social media platform by East Coast Diversified Corporation, has announced that its online, interactive e-commerce engine is open for business and powered by Amazon. 

Members of the aStore will be able to browse through a wide range of products and shop online with friends in their network in real time, thanks to ECDC's nVite technology. ECDC's proprietary nVite technology also lets Vir2o members watch movies together and share photos in real time.

New York -- AT&T unveiled its newest store design, at a new location in LaGrange, Ill. The store is built around the customer experience, with a goal of providing a glimpse of what the future of retail will look like. The new design will be rolled out at new and redesigned store locations across the country, and continuing into 2014. (For a video tour of the store, click here.)

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble plans to remain focused on keeping existing and potential customers and shareholders happy, following its net sales for fiscal 2013 which increased 1% to $84.2 billion, including a negative two-point impact from foreign exchange. 

Diluted net earnings per share from continuing operations were $3.86, up 24% compared with the prior year.

Walldorf, Germany -- SAP AG and Hybris announced that SAP has completed the acquisition of Hybris, a leader in commerce technology. The two companies said they plan to combine the omni-channel commerce solutions of Hybris with robust enterprise technology and in-memory, cloud and mobile innovations from SAP to help facilitate new levels of customer insight and engagement.

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Specialty retailer Wet Seal has signed on with Demandware to use the cloud commerce solutions provider’s commerce platform as a component of its e-commerce and digital marketing strategy. 

Wet Seal is looking to leverage the platform’s offerings — which according to Demandware include fast time-to-market, a rich set of merchandising capabilities and a secure, scalable environment to support omnichannel operations — to provide customers with optimal online and mobile shopping services. 

CINCINNATI, Ohio — Henkel Consumer Goods Inc., a provider of leading consumer brands such as Dial, Purex, Soft Scrub and Right Guard, plans to leverage Datalliance VMI’s platform for its expanding consumer goods Vendor Managed Inventory program.