Data & Analytics

Boston -- New research released by Brodeur Partners uncovered that Baby Boomers and Generation Y’ers think differently about the shopping experience.

According to The Brodeur Partners’ Retail Relevance Study, Boomers see the ideal shopping experience as getting a good deal on a decent product. For Gen Y, it’s more about a stimulating, sensual, “sharable” experience.

By Steven Boon, [email protected]

As retailers strive to be competitive in the current economic environment, many are considering the use of new software solutions to more effectively identify their customers’ wants and desires – and better determine what products they need to have on their store shelves to maximize sales and minimize wastage.

Columbia, Md. -- Micros Systems said Monday that Friendly’s Ice Cream has expanded its partnership with Micros through the addition to its technology solution set of online ordering and a guest loyalty program.

To support its initiative of adding to its customer base and retaining current customers, Friendly's has elected to deploy Micros webOrdering and Micros iCare Customer Relationship Management solutions.

Los Angeles -- A survey released Monday by PriceGrabber said that 77% of consumers who own a tablet computer use either a tablet or a smartphone to shop.

The survey includes responses from 1,829 U.S. online shopping consumers, 22% of whom indicated that they own a tablet computer.

When consumers who use their mobile devices for shopping were asked how often they make purchases from their mobile devices, 40% said a couple times a month, 23% said once a week, 20% said a few times a year, and 10% said daily.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Hibbett Sports Inc. saw its profit for the quarter ended Jan. 28 jump 27% to $15.8 million, compared with $12.5 million in the year-ago period.

 Revenue increased 10% to $190.7 million from $173.2 million, missing Wall Street’s expected $192.2 million in revenue. Same-store sales rose 7.2%.

For the full year, Hibbett reported net income of $59.1 million, up from $46.4 million last year. Revenue rose to $732.6 million, from $665 million.

Lynnwood, Wash. -- Whole Foods Market will open a store in Lynnwood, Wash., on March 15. It is the first Whole Foods location in the Pacific Northwest to use Glycol as a refrigerant, reducing the amount of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) produced by the store.

The store emphasizes a commitment to green practices and environmentally friendly construction, from the LED lighting to the locally sourced, reclaimed Douglas Fir wood visible throughout.

Newport Beach, Calif. – U.K. Microsoft Dynamics solution-provider K3 Retail said Monday it has formed an alliance with JustEnough Software to help retailers more effectively plan financials, assortments, markdowns, promotions and allocations with flexibility, accuracy and ease.



New York City -- The Conference Board reported Monday that its Employment Trends Index increased 1.38% in February to 107.46, from the revised figure of 105.99 in January.

The February figure is also up 6.1% from the same month a year ago.