Seasonal

By David Rekuc, Marketing Director, Ripen E-commerce

It's three days before the Christmas party and you still don't have that Secret Santa gift for your cousin. You head to the perfume store, hoping for the right present to make up for a year of no calls and absent-minded Facebook likes. You find a gift and check the price online only to see it is 15 bucks cheaper. Do you make the online purchase and risk it getting delivered in time? Or walk out with a more expensive, but safer deal? This is the mindset of your typical holiday shopper.

New York - Imports to the U.S. were steady in May 2014 from the previous month, though there was a measurable year-over-year increase. Data from supply chain research firm Panjiva shows that May 2014 showed levels of imports 4% above imports in May 2013.

Brentwood, Tenn. – Tractor Supply Co. reported sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2014 increased 8.8% to $1.58 billion, from $1.46 billion in second quarter 2013. This figure was slightly below consensus analyst estimates of $1.6 billion.

San Jose, Calif. - For the month of June, soccer-related searches across the U.S. sites of eight international sporting goods and apparel retailers increased by 280%, compared to May. According to analysis from SLI Systems, there were more than 2.2 million U.S. soccer-related product searches from these eight e-commerce sites alone, with a corresponding boost in online shopping behavior during June for products including soccer cleats, balls, shin guards, gloves and other equipment.

Yonkers, N.Y. - Forest City Ratner Companies, the developer and owner of Westchester’s Ridge Hill mall in Yonkers, New York, is adding an indoor skydiving facility, one of only 14 in the U.S.

IFly Indoor Skydiving will break ground this fall with an estimated completion date in early 2015.

Columbus, Ohio - Sbarro is entering into Bolivia with a new store opening at the Ventura Mall in Santa Cruz. Sbarro Bolivia SRL plans to open a total of 10 eateries in Bolivia during the next decade.

The franchise agreement with Sbarro Bolivia SRL further expands Sbarro's footprint in South America, which currently includes eateries in Brazil and Colombia, as well as locations launching soon in Peru.

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in June 2013 versus June 2014 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Both Walmart and Toys “R” Us experienced some extreme shifts versus last year. Toys “R” Us did not run any circulars during the month of June, down from two last year. Instead, it ran only web and email promotions. The inverse occurred in January, when it ran no print ads in 2013 and only a single short circular in 2014.

New York -- Uncertainty at the West Coast ports has caused a rush of activity, according to a monthly tracking service.

Import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to total 1.5 million containers this month, says the Global Port Tracker from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. That’s the highest monthly volume in at least five years and follows a trend of unusually high import levels that began this spring as labor strife pushed retailers to import merchandise ahead of any potential problems.