Apple, Inc.

As brick-and-mortar stores race to transform themselves amid the increasing importance and influence of e-commerce, many retailers are looking to in-store digital media displays to attract and engage potential customers.      What’s more, new startups are bringing down the high cost of traffic-counting technology; making mobile marketing offers as painless as possible; and looking to virtual reality to create experiences that wow, immerse and educate consumers. Take a look at these:   

Apple is turning its stores into mini town squares.   The tech giant is redesigning its stores along the lines of its new San Francisco Union Square and London Regent Street locations, Fortune reported. It expects to have 95 stores fully revamped by year end.    

Fast-casual eatery throws its hat into the mobile app arena.   Eager to take advantage of mobility, Shake Shack introduced a mobile app that includes an ordering platform. Designed on Apple’s iOS platform, the Shack App invites guests to place orders through their smart phone, and pick up meals at its “Midtown East Shack” in New York City. This single location test will be ongoing.   

Macy’s on Friday became the first department store retailer to open an in-store Apple shop.   The shop is located on the main floor of Macy’s New York City flagship in Herald Square. Similar to in-store Apple shops at Best Buy, it features light wood tables. The product line-up includes iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and Apple watches.  

Apple has re-opened its 12-year-old London flagship after a major overhaul that reflects the company’s updated store strategy.     Located on Regent Street, the redone space has an airy look and natural feel, with an open glass façade, high ceilings, oversized windows and plenty of room to move around. The increased ceiling height allowed for the addition of twelve Ficus Ali trees, complete with planters that double as a comfortable place to sit. Two “living” walls are covered with greenery.

Neil Saunders, CEO of Conlumino, a New York-based retail research agency and consulting firm, offers the following insights on September sales results.  

Skechers now allows shoppers to manage their shopping experience from the palm of their hand.  

Las Vegas’s first major sports franchise, the National Hockey League’s Black Knights, will build a practice facility in the Summerlin master-plan community west of the Strip.  

It’s no secret that online shopping and changing consumer preferences continue to impact physical retail traffic. Despite the shifting landscape, retail sales remain largely intact and, more importantly, are expected to increase year-over-year this holiday season.

November and December (NRF weeks 40 – 48) are known as primetime for physical retailers. Sales generated during this period immediately impact a brands’ bottom line, and they set the stage for either success or struggle in the first quarter of the following year.

All travelers agree: Lost luggage can ruin any trip.

With an eye on privacy and ease of use, eBags new smart solution hopes to streamline the travel experience. The luggage and travel accessory pure-play retailer has developed an app-enabled ID tag that reunites lost luggage with their owners.

Unlike the traditional luggage tag, which prominently displays the owner's contact information for anyone to see, the eBags Connected Luggage Tag uses patent-pending privacy controls to let customers control which personal information they display on tags, and when.