Data & Analytics

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp. said Wednesday that women’s apparel and accessories retailer Dots has signed an agreement for private-label credit card services.

"The benefits of the new dots card are multifaceted,” said Lisa Rhodes, CEO, Dots. “In addition to providing a finance option and exclusive offers, it's an opportunity for us to bond with our shoppers as they become advocates of our brand.”

Menlo park, Calif. -- Technology executives expect information technology hiring to increase in first quarter 2013, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report.

In the latest quarterly survey, 17% of chief information officers (CIOs) said they plan to expand their IT departments, and 8% expect cutbacks, for a net 9% projected increase in hiring activity. This is up six points from the previous quarter's projections. Seventy-five percent of CIOs plan to maintain their current staffing levels.

Reston, Va. -- For the holiday season-to-date, $26.6 billion has been spent online, up 13% versus the corresponding days last year, according to comScore. The firm predicts that Green Monday (Monday, December 10, 2012) is likely to be one of the heaviest online spending days of the season and a headliner for what is expected to the busiest online spending week on record.

NEW YORK — In an era of increasingly complex global supply chains and product safety concerns, Deloitte and Decernis have formed a strategic alliance to provide compliance solutions to consumer product, food service, retail and distribution companies.

The alliance combines Deloitte's food safety, quality and supply chain experience and the software platform and content provided by Decernis for tracking and alerting consumer businesses about compliance issues.

San Jose, Calif. -- Nearly half (40%) of retailers will add a mobile version of their website in 2013, with 20% planning to create a mobile app, according to the "2012 ECommerce Trends Survey,” a survey of nearly 500 global retailers conducted by SLI Systems. Retailers’ biggest challenges in e-commerce continue to be improving conversions (63%) and attracting more customers to their websites (61%), the survey revealed.

Atlanta -- Dollar volume growth remained solid at 5.8% in November, down from 6.7% in October, according to the First Data SpendTrend analysis for the full month of November 2012 compared with November 2011. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us has teamed up with leading game manufacturer Ubisoft to create a free toy store simulation game, a first of its kind.

The interactive social game called “Toys"R"Us Towers” is available on Facebook and will be available on mobile devices in the coming months. It also offers in-store discounts to those who play.

Wayne, N.J. -- Ubisoft  and Toys “R” Us announced that they have teamed up to create Toys “R” Us Towers, a free-to-play toy store simulation game with real-world benefits, available now on Facebook. The game will also be available on mobile devices in the coming months.