Target, Inc.

By Sandy Skrovan, U.S. research director, Planet Retail

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Customer satisfaction with e-commerce websites in on the rise, with Amazon topping all measured sites, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index's (ACSI) annual E-Commerce Report, produced in partnership with customer experience analytics firm ForeSee.
   

New York -- With an overall branded basket 4% less expensive than Target’s, Walmart assumes the strongest overall lead in Kantar Retail’s semi-annual pricing study since the study began in 2009.
   
While strategic price discounts on key items continue to be a cornerstone of Target’s price competitiveness, rather than everyday low prices, Target’s overall basket has not been lower than Walmart’s since the January 2011 iteration of this study.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- The shopping app Shopkick on Wednesday announced that Nielsen ranked Shopkick No. 34 out of approximately 1 million apps in December 2012. While still trailing giants like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter overall, Shopkick dominated the shopping category during the holiday season, with more frequent and prolonged usage than all physical retailers' own apps including Starbucks, Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger and Safeway, the app developer noted.

Wayne, N.J. -- The search is on for a new chief executive of Toys “R” Us with the announcement that Gerald L. Storch is stepping down as CEO of the company. The news comes just weeks after the world's largest dedicated toy retailer reported that its same-store U.S. sales fell 4.5% during the holiday season, and that its total sales fell 4.7%. 

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Amazon has extended its domination of e-retail into the mobile platform, according to the ForeSee Mobile Satisfaction Index: Holiday Retail Edition, released on Tuesday by ForeSee.

In a survey of more than 6,200 consumers collected during the peak holiday shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Amazon scored highest among 25 of the top mobile commerce companies.

Fort Worth, Texas -- In an unexpected move, RadioShack said late Thursday that Walgreen Co. divisional president Joseph Magnacca will take the helm of the beleaguered consumer electronics chain as its new CEO.

New York -- There were few missteps among the discounters in January, as most posted strong results, many surpassing Wall Street expectations.

Target reported a same-store sales rise of 3.1%, topping Wall Street expectations. Total sales surged 29.6% to $5.97 billion in January.