Data & Analytics

TROY, Mich. — PayAnywhere, a provider of mobile point of sale technology, has launched an upgraded version of its mPOS app for iOS and revamped its merchant portal PayAnywhere Inside.

The app is available for download from the Apple App Store and works with the PayAnywhere mobile credit card reader, which plugs into the audio jack of an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch device, so merchants of all sizes can accept credit and debit card payments directly from their phones or tablets.

New York – Improvements in real home prices, initial unemployment claims and real wages drove an increase in the Deloitte Consumer Spending Index last month. The Index, which comprises four components of tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices, rose slightly in May to 4.27 from a reading of 4.12 the previous month.

ROANOKE, Va. — Advance Auto Parts has promoted Jon Dehne to SVP of market availability, inventory management and merchandise operations. 

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys "R" Us reported a loss of $111 million for the first quarter, compared with a year-earlier loss of $60 million. It was the struggling chain’s worst quarter in a decade.

Net sales for the quarter, ended May 4, declined 7.8% to $2.4 billion. Same-store sales were down 8.4% domestically and fell 5.8% internationally.

Cincinnati -- Retail loyalty programs have seen some impressive growth since 2011, according to results of the latest Colloquy Loyalty Census. In 2013, department stores achieved 70% growth in loyalty program memberships since the 2011 Colloquy Census, far surpassing the 26.7% rate of growth in loyalty programs across all sectors tabulated in the 2013 census. The number of department store loyalty memberships is 193.9 million.

ATLANTA — Newell Rubbermaid has appointed Jeremy Liebowitz as the company’s VP of global e-commerce, a newly created position. The company will look to Liebowitz to lead the acceleration of its online revenue growth worldwide.

New York -- Sixty-percent of retailers have energy management systems within their site portfolios, but only 46% have a formal energy management strategy in place.
 
Those are among the findings of a survey conducted by Ecova, a total energy and sustainability management company. In other survey findings, 44% of the respondents said they currently benchmark their portfolio or sites, and 21% have applied for the Energy Star label for their portfolio.

STAMFORD, Conn. — With the housing market rebounding and home improvement on the upswing, GE Capital Retail Bank is looking to help contractors with a new business-building program called “Think Outside the Toolbox.”