Direct To Consumer (DTC)

Pure play home furnishings retailer Wayfair is citing one digital channel in particular as serving as a major growth driver.

According to Wayfair, 35% of all orders in third quarter 2015 were placed on mobile devices. In addition, a majority of traffic to Wayfair now occurs on phones and tablets. Phone traffic in particular has been sharply rising throughout 2015 as customers switch from PCs and even tablets.

Dov Charney, the founder and ousted CEO of American Apparel, continues with his efforts to regain control of the company. But with the chain slated to emerge from bankruptyc in mid-January, time is running out, Bloomberg reported.

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Forever 21 is growing its its lower-priced format, F21 RED.

The chain has opened three new stores, with locations in Brooklyn, New York; San Diego, California and Kendall, Florida. The Brooklyn store is 35,000 sq. ft., while the San Diego and Kendall locations are more than 20,000 sq. ft.

Forever 21 launched F21 RED, which carries merchandise for men, women and children, in the first quarter of 2014. There are currently more than 20 F21 locations in the United States.

When it comes to retail diversity, Manhattan is about as inclusive as it gets.

A first-of-its-kind survey of 906 existing retailers in three of Manhattan’s leading shopping districts (SoHo, Fifth Avenue, and Madison Avenue) found a virtual “United Nations” of merchants originating from 26 countries. The Cushman & Wakefield study found that nearly four out of 10 retailers – 39% -- originate from outside the United States.

The retail comeback of the New York City borough of Staten Island continues.

BFC Partners, which is developing Staten Island’s 340,000-sq.-ft. Empire Oulets center, announced it will develop an artisanal food market showcasing the best local and international purveyors for the center.

BFC is partnering with the creative team behind Gansevoort Market on the project.

Dollar Shave Club has been a thorn in Gillette’s side since launching its disruptive subscription business model.

2015 has been a good year for e-commerce. Alibaba shattered records on Singles Day with $14.3 billion in sales. India witnessed a boom in e-commerce investment from companies looking to win the millions of new smartphone users. Even the Girl Scouts joined the digital mix, rolling out version 2.0 of their Digital Cookie program to boost their online cookie sales. We expect even bigger things from 2016.

eBay has come up with a clever solution to help Americans solve a common dilemma: what to do about unwanted holiday gifts.

The online marketplace retailer will operate pop-up selling stations in three select Westfield shopping centers across the country during “Boxing Weekend” from Dec. 26 (Boxing Day) to Dec. 27. The stations will be located at Westfield San Francisco Centre, San Francisco; Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, New Jersey; and Westfield Hawthorn Center, Vernon Hills, Illinois.