Analytics

With retail sales making a comeback in October — growing a little more than half a percent from last month and 5 percent year-over-year (YoY) — the National Retail Federation (NRF) is predicting that when the holidays are over, U.S. consumers will have spent over $1 trillion.  That represents a 3.7 percent to 4.2 percent…

Amazon.com is the undisputed ruler of retail media, taking up 40 percent of total ad spend in the category with an 18 percent year-over-year growth in its ad revenue in 2024. Big-box retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy, along with top grocers including Albertsons and Kroger, have captured meaningful ad dollars with their retail…

Today’s business environment is rapidly evolving and so are the complexities of the retail supply chain. With so many moving parts that includes suppliers, inventory and logistics, retailers must identify and understand the common pain points and find practical ways to address them. This is best done by taking a data-driven approach to build a…

Retailers are moving fast to incorporate generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) into every corner of their operations. However, there's one major obstacle standing in the way: their data. While most data teams are skilled at managing traditional retail data (e.g., transactional, inventory, etc.), many of the most promising Gen AI use cases rely on unstructured…

A new survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) released Tuesday reveals that shoppers are already spending for the back-to-school season in the face of looming tariffs and high inflation. The NRF surveyed 7,581 consumers during the first week of July to find out their shopping habits for the fall back-to-school period. The association found…

Amazon stretched out its annual Prime Day sales event so that it lasted four days – twice as long as in the past – and, as a result, blew away previous sales figures, reports USA Today. The online retailing powerhouse and tech giant said Prime Day 2025, which ran from July 8-11, was its biggest…

In today’s fast-paced retail environment, gut feelings and guesswork are no longer enough to make effective business decisions. Success belongs to retailers that harness the power of data, turning insights into action to elevate customer experiences, streamline operations, and maximize profitability. Luxury U.K. brand Selfridges is a prime example of how collecting customer data can…

Retailers today face an unprecedented pace of change. Shifting customer expectations, supply chain instability, and tariff uncertainty are challenging even the most sophisticated operators to make faster, smarter decisions. But while many have invested in data tools, few have tackled the deeper issue: how data is accessed and used across the business. Through conversations with…

Product returns continue to be a growing source of friction for the retail industry, with $685 billion in merchandise returned in the U.S. last year. However, retailers can convert these returns into exchanges, while also improving fraud detection and optimizing production selection, by leveraging a combination of advanced artificial intelligence-powered data analytics and customer service…

Retailers’ 2024 holiday season showed resilience and promise, as consumers embraced the festive spirit despite initial concerns about inflation and economic instability. The industry’s holiday performance outpaced expectations, with consumer spending between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, 2024, up 3.8 percent year-over-year — surpassing forecasts by 0.5 percent. Additionally, year-over-year traffic was up 14.8 percent…