Research Topic

When it comes to payments, times are changing. Fast. Retailers find themselves in an uncertain world: after a few rough years of data breaches, theft, and fraud, retailers are already feeling pretty beat up. But despite a resulting emphasis on data security and privacy, retailers find they have no room to pause while they secure their enterprises as tightly as they would like. Consumers are moving fast, and retailers must keep up.

Just months after being named the nation's best department store by USA Today, Stein Mart is reporting a big jump in same store sales for June.

The Florida-based retailer reported total sales for the five-week period ended July 4 of $121.7 million, a 7.5% increase over total sales of $113.2 million for the five-week period ended July 5, 2014. Same store sales for the five-week period ended July 4 increased 5.8% from June 2014.

Atlanta – Home furnishings retailer Havertys is on a roll. Sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2015 increased 7% to $187.7 million from $175.1 million a year earlier, and the company plans to open a new store in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the third quarter.  

Same-store sales for the quarter increased 4.8%. Total written sales increased 5% and written same-store sales increased 2.4%. Havertys also plans to complete two store renovations in the third quarter.
 

San Luis Obispo, Calif. – Retailers who want to keep their customers happy and ensure positive word-of-mouth need to follow the “five-day rule” when fulfilling deliveries.

According to a new study of 13,000 consumers from cloud-based distributed order management solution provider Shopatron, 87% of orders delivered by a retailer or brand in five days or less resulted in the customer becoming a “promoter.”

Lowe's is doing all the right things when it comes to customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power's 2015 Appliance Retailer Satisfaction Study.

The study, now in its eighth year, measures customer satisfaction with appliance retailers by examining seven factors (in order of importance): sales staff and service; store facility; price; delivery service; sales and promotions (new to the study); merchandise; and installation service. Satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale.

New York – Retailers are continuing to cut ties with real estate developer and Republican presidential primary candidate Donald Trump in the wake of his recent disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants.

Following in the footsteps of Macy’s, off-price retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshalls have said they will no longer sell branded Trump apparel and accessories. And that’s not the end of it.  

Westlake Village, Calif. - Lowe's ranks highest in customer satisfaction with appliance retailers.According to the J.D. Power 2015 Appliance Retailer Satisfaction Study, Lowe's achieves high satisfaction across the customer experience.

Nashville, Tenn. -- IHL Group has added a noted retail technology analyst with nearly 30 years of experience to its ranks.

Jeff Roster is joining IHL in the new position of VP of retail strategy. He will oversee IHL's retailer engagement, vendor briefings and strategic IT services practice.