Data & Analytics

eBay is making updates to its seller performance standards and returns policy designed to promote and safeguard top-level sellers and also ease returns.

E-commerce platform provider FreedomPay has appointed former eBay executive Marc Pereira as VP of technology.

Pereira most recently spent nearly 12 years at eBay Enterprises, serving in several strategic executive roles and has 20 years of e-commerce and technology experience. He will be responsible for overseeing, envisioning and maintaining the company's technology infrastructure, which covers both the development process and the network infrastructure management operations.

A little more than a month ago, Robert Hanson resigned as CEO of American Eagle Outfitters, following disappointing holiday sales, and caused shares to drop 10%. Shares dropped again, nearly 7% this time, following what the company called “highly disappointing” fourth-quarter results.

Following disappointing fourth-quarter sales, the Bon-Ton Stores president and CEO Brendan L. Hoffman has notified the company’s board of directors that he will not renew his employment agreement with the company when it expires Feb. 7, 2015.

Hoffman also plans to resign as a director of the company.

Inclement weather has hurt some retailers’ quarterly sales results, but it has been no match for Dick’s Sporting Goods. The company’s fourth-quarter results exceeded the upper end of guidance range it provided in its third quarter press release.

LLamasoft, a leading global supply chain design software developer, has named Alejandro Nieto as SVP of international sales. Nieto will be responsible for sales in Latin America as well as EMEA and APAC regions.

Smaller format stores are all the rage these days. Dollar General, which already operates nearly 12,000 stores, plans to open 700 more units this year. Walmart recently announced plans to accelerate growth of its smaller format stores by opening between 270 and 300 small stores, more than double the 120 to 150 store range it projected last fall. Even Target has gotten in on the action with plans to open its first Target Express store near downtown Minneapolis this summer.

Campaigns on the social platform get results, according to Erin Hunter, global head of CPG strategy at Facebook, assuming they involve great creativity and speak to shoppers in the right voice.