Seasonal

Retailers are paying more and offering more incentives to secure experienced in-store help to increase sales

At least that’s according to a new survey by Korn Ferry Hay Group, a leading global hiring and organizational advisory firm.

Despite a few hiccups with site availability, Cyber Week 2015 on the whole was a huge success for the retail industry and bodes well for the remainder of the holiday season.

According to data from Adobe, from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, consumers spent $11 billion online. This marked a 15% increase from Cyber Week in 2014 and represented 30% of a total $39.5 billion in November online sales. Adobe predicts consumers will spend $1 billion a day online every day from Dec. 1- Dec. 18.

Cabela's has confirmed that it is in the process of reviewing strategic alternatives weeks after speculation surfaced that Bass Pro Shops is looking to acquire the retailer.

Cabela's announced Wednesday that its board of directors is initiating a process to explore and evaluate a wide range of strategic alternatives to further enhance shareholder value.

Despite significant investments by many retailers, U.S. consumers are unsatisfied with the levels of customer service offered this holiday season.

According to the new 2015 Retail Holiday Customer Experience study from customer engagement solutions provider Eptica, 35% of consumers are unhappy with the online experience. This figure rises to 40% in store.

Strong sales at Maurices and Lane Bryant weren’t enough to lift Ascena in the first quarter, as the company reported a decrease in comps.

For the period ended Oct. 24, the company reported a net loss of 10 cents per diluted share compared to net income of 32 cents per diluted share in the same period of fiscal 2015. The company blamed the decrease on transaction costs related to the acquisition of Ann Inc., which closed during the first quarter fof fiscal 2016. Comps dropped 3% in the first quarter.

It’s no wonder so many shoppers were not impressed with some of the big holiday deals being offered by big retailers this past week.

Retailers are paying more and offering more incentives to secure experienced in-store help to increase sales.

In-store sales declines over Black Friday weekend had many analysts buzzing about the future of brick and mortar. But an expert in store traffic cautioned that the declines should be taken with a grain of salt.

“It’s important to view the decrease in context,” said Bill Martin, founder, ShopperTrak.

Martin noted that where are several contributing factors, including fewer available store hours on Thanksgiving Day and a later Hanukah that is anticipated to push sales into December.

One retailer was clearly in a league of its own when it came to social media dominance of Cyber Monday.