Seasonal

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, so of course everyone is thinking about the latest trends in... retail IT. Okay, nobody outside of the industry has visions of technology solutions dancing in their heads, but retailers do need to know what is developing on the IT front as their busiest season arrives.

We live in the age of the empowered consumer – with little patience and sky-high demands for personalized shopping experiences. Today’s consumers are used to having everything they want available to them at the swipe of a finger or within a physical store. When there’s an app for nearly everything along with ultra-accurate search technologies, brands need to make sure they’re delivering on their promises and providing seamless and relevant customer experiences across all channels –mobile, web, social, call center, physical stores and more.

After a 16% increase in e-commerce sales in 2014, another 14% increase is projected this year, in turn driving greater customer expectations.* Today’s shopper is more connected than ever before, which means they have more information and can turn to any number of retailers for the products they want. The bottom line is if they don’t have the experience they desire, they will go elsewhere, especially during the holiday shopping frenzy.

With nearly 1,100 stores in malls nationwide, it appears that 2015 was not the summer of the sneaker for Finish Line.

The retailer reported weaker-than-expected sales for its second quarter ended Aug. 29. The results weren’t awful, with sales advancing 3.5% to $483.2 million and same-store sales up 1.5%. However, gas prices were in free fall for much of the year and the unemployment rate was in decline, which should have left Finish Line’s core customer with money in their pockets and no reason to not drive to the mall.

Holiday sales will increase between 3.5% and 4%, slower than last year’s 5.2% growth, as favorable economic tailwinds are offset by lingering negatives, according to an annual forecast by Deloitte’s Retail and Distribution Practice.

Amazon is using its winning of five Emmys on Sunday at the 67th Annual Emmy Awards to throw its competitors yet another fastball.

The company is reducing the price of its Amazon Prime loyalty program, which includes unlimited free two-day shipping, from $99 per year to $67 for one year. The catch is the deal will only run for 24 hours, between midnight Sept. 25 and ending midnight Sept. 26.

The workforce at Macy’s will swell by 50% in the coming month as the department store retailer looks to elevate service levels during the holiday season.

Macy’s said it plans to hire 85,000 workers, versus 86,000 last year, for temporary positions at its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers. The company had roughly 167,000 employees at the end of its fiscal year on Jan. 31, 2015.

Pervasive online price comparisons, the growing popularity of Amazon.com and intense omnichannel activity can be expected this holiday season, according to new consumer research by Market Track.