Direct To Consumer (DTC)

An end-to-end e-commerce solution now enables Rent-A-Center visitors to shop online from their desktop, laptop, or mobile device.   Rent-A-Center’s new platform enables guests to choose from more than 73 available products, primarily consumer electronics. The new solution also gives shoppers the option to complete an online form to obtain pre-approval to rent from within one of Rent-A-Center’s approximately 2,600 store locations.   

Starbucks Corp. unveiled an ambitious five-year strategy that calls for major expansion, includes two new store formats, including freestanding bakeries.      The coffee giant said it plans to plans to open approximately 12,000 new stores globally by 2021, including 5,000 cafes in China. The new round of expansion would bring Starbucks’s total store portfolio to approximately 37,000 locations.   

While some retailers struggle with mobile’s limited “real estate,” Wayfair sees it as a window of “shopping” opportunity.   The home décor pure play launched View in Room, a new feature within its mobile app that lets shoppers see furniture and décor in their homes before they buy. The new feature places two-dimensional (2-D) product images in any room through the camera of iOS and Android mobile devices.  

There is one trend from the past couple of years shows no signs of stopping anytime soon: the movement of online-only retailers to the physical space. If anything, it’s gaining more momentum.      According to JLL’s Screens to Stores report, even more online retailers will experiment with physical locations in the next five years.    

Luxury jewelry brand John Hardy evokes its Balinese roots at its new, multi-sensory flagship in Manhattan’s SoHo.   

Luxury retailers are not advocates of fast fashion, but Matchesfashion.com’s new service gives the term a new meaning.  

With plans to expand to some 600 stores, At Home Group Inc. has appointed a chief operating officer and expanded its board with a Gap Inc. veteran.    The retailer, which currently operates 123 stores, said it promoted chief stores officer Peter Corsa to COO. Corsa, who joined the company in 2013, will continue to be responsible for store operations, loss prevention, distribution and logistics in addition to assuming oversight of inventory planning and allocation.  

Ulta has finished its third quarter with another very impressive set of numbers. Despite lapping some tough comparatives, the pace of growth has quickened with strong uplifts in total and comparable sales, as well as on the bottom line where operating and net income both grew by well over 20%.