News

Redmond, Wash. -- Microsoft Corp. has enhanced Microsoft Dynamics CRM by adding a comprehensive set of new marketing, customer care and social listening capabilities to the suite. The new release is expected in the second quarter of 2014.

Richard N. Cabela, co-founder and chairman emeritus of the $3.6 billion chain of 50 Cabela’s stores, has died at his home in Sidney, Neb.

Cabela served as chairman of the board until June 2013, when he transitioned to chairman emeritus and Jim Cabela became chairman. Cabela and his wife, Mary, and brother, Jim, founded Cabela’s in 1961. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their nine children and their families, as well as two sisters and three brothers.

Revionics, a leading provider of end-to-end merchandise optimization solutions, has named the company’s president and CEO Marc Hafner as chairman of the board.

Hafner has served as president and CEO since 2010 and with this newly added role he will lead the company’s strategic planning and accelerate its global growth.

New York -- The costs related to Target's  data breach have now exceeded $200 million for financial institutions, according to  the Consumer Bankers Association and the Credit Union National Association, the Associated Press reported. The $200 million figure does not include the cost of any a fraudulent activity, which would push the cost of the breach to the industry higher as consumers are not held liable.

The two trade associations said that 21.8 million of the 40 million compromised credit and debit cards have been replaced.

Hy-Vee has entered into an agreement to purchase Amber Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy solutions provider based in Omaha, Neb.

Hy-Vee and Amber Pharmacy have been partners in Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions since 2010. This acquisition allows Hy-Vee to expand its current specialty pharmacy business, providing customers with increased specialty options, access and affordability.

Minneapolis – Security staff at Target Corp. reportedly warned management of the risk of a cyber attack before the retailer’s widely publicized November 2013 data breach took place. According to the Wall Street Journal, at least one security analyst at Target recommended the retailer perform a more thorough review of its payment network as early as September 2013.

Omnichannel marketers have gained a new personalization weapon to engage with shoppers thanks to a partnership between nGage Labs and Web Decisions.

The firms announced a new arrangement that combines nGage’s personalized mobile customer engagement capabilities with Web Decision’s omnichannel marketing database solutions to create a fully integrated database-drive mobile customer engagement solution.

By Jason Roeder,  PowerhouseDynamics

As weather patterns and energy costs become less predictable, the need to maximize savings, gain control and monitor energy usage with minimum staff effort moves from the “nice-to-have” to “must-have list.”