ANALYSIS-In changing climate, retailers turning to weather strategies

* Retailers use weather data for advertising, inventory and pricing decisions * Climate consultants leverage cloud computing to process vast amounts of data * Demand for climate analytics rises amid increased weather volatility By Nicholas P. Brown Nov 4 - Big-name retailers such as Walmart are increasingly using analytics to blunt the impact of one of the most unpredictable performance variables of shopping: weather. A niche group of weather consultants — from Germany's Meteonomiqs to U.S. firms Planalytics and Weather Trends International — is using breakthroughs such as cloud computing to process once-unimaginable amounts of data. Weather analytics can help companies like Tractor Supply decide whether to discount winter items, said Planalytics CEO Fred Fox, whose clients include Dick's Sporting Goods and Ross Stores. Retailers typically see weather's impact in foot traffic and sales, said Stefan Bornemann, head of Meteonomiqs, whose clients include retailers using the e-commerce platform Shopify.