Walmart

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- A mobile commerce study released Thursday by customer experience analytics firm ForeSee found that Apple and Amazon rank far above all other retailers when it comes to mobile customer satisfaction.

When measuring how satisfied customers are with mobile shopping experiences of 16 of the largest e-retailers in the United States, Apple and Amazon, which scored 85 and 84, respectively, on the study’s 100-point scale, topped the list by a wide margin.

The annual consumer electronics extravaganza known as CES gets underway in Las Vegas today, and in conjunction with the show’s kick off Market Research Solutions (MRS) is out with a new report that provides some unconventional insights into the 2011 holiday season and outlook for 2012.

Following a wild ride during Black Friday, the last month of the year in 2011 saw most retailers maintaining similar levels of promotional activities when compared to 2010. The majority of advertisers either saw slight increases in circular and page counts or stayed flat. When looking at both page counts and circular drops overall there was not much change, with a 2% decrease in number of pages and a 1% drop in number of inserts per market. 

WEST CHESTER, Pa. — QVC announced that Linda Dillman has been appointed CIO, reporting to QVC president and CEO Mike George.

Dillman, who has more than 20 years of experience leading IT teams, most recently served as SVP global IT at HP. Previously, she was EVP and CIO at Wal-Mart Stores, where she was instrumental in transforming the supply chain management model for Walmart, according to a QVC press release. 

West chester, Pa. -- QVC announced that Linda Dillman has been appointed CIO, Dillman most recently served as senior VP global IT at HP. Previously, she was executive VP and CIO at Wal-Mart Stores.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart is expanding the services it offers at tax time to include free in-store federal Form 1040EZ filing.

The chain has partnered with Jackson Hewitt and H&R Block to double its in-store tax kiosks and lower the cost for tax preparation services. Jackson Hewitt will offer free federal Form 1040EZ filing at its Walmart kiosks throughout the tax season, and H&R Block will offer a free federal Form 1040EZ until Feb. 29.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced that it is helping customers prepare for tax season by offering low-cost tax preparation preparation services and free in-store federal Form 1040EZ filing. In addition, the retailer provides $3 and $6 check-cashing services. 

Family Dollar reported quarterly results after the market closed Thursday and offered a reminder why Walmart suppliers who participated in last month’s Connecting Northwest Arkansas Supplier Survey ranked dollar stores as the greatest competitive threat to Walmart in the next five years.