eCommerce

The image of shoppers hunched over their mobile devices while they browse store shelves may be less common than retailers imagine.

According to a new survey of 9,142 online consumers in the U.S. and Canada conducted by Bizrate Insights, a division of Connexity Inc., three-quarters (73%) of online buyers use mobile devices to shop online. However, only one in five (21%) use mobile devices to assist their in-store shopping experience. Mobile devices include both smartphones and tablets.

Bebe stores has brought back its founder and former CEO to lead a turnaround effort that includes a 15% reduction in its corporate workforce.

The troubled retailer announced that founder Manny Mashouf has rejoined its management team as CEO, replacing Jim Wiggett, who was hired less than two years ago. Mashouf previously served as CEO from the company’s founding in 1976 to 2004, and then again from 2009 until the beginning of 2013, when he stepped down and became non-executive chairman.

A modest increase in fourth quarter same store sales at Walmart’s U.S. stores marked a sixth consecutive period of growth and helped the company exceed analysts’ profit targets, but a reduced 2016 sales outlook caught some investors by surprise.

The surge in fraudulent e-commerce transactions which was predicted in the wake of U.S. EMV compliance may already be happening.
 
According to the new Online Fraud Index from payment platform provider Pymnts.com and security technology vendor Forster, fraud attacks on U.S. online retailers rose 163% during the first three quarters of 2015. Interestingly, this large increase in online fraud preceded the Oct. 1, 2015 EMV mandate, although many retailers had already begun or even completed EMV compliance efforts during that time.
 

Increased expenses and shrinking margins hurt Nordstrom profitability in the fourth quarter, but the leading department store and off-price retailer delivered on the e-commerce front.

Nordstrom said sales for the fourth quarter increased 5.2% to $4.1 billion and same store sales increased 1%. The company’s full price stores and Nordstrom.com grew sales 0.7% and same stores sales increased 0.2%. However, the growth was largely driven by Nordstrom.com sales which increased 11% and offset a 3.2% decline at physical stores.

Google is testing a new range of products for its Google Express online delivery service.

Google is now offering fresh grocery items, such as milk and bread, for delivery through Google Express in the San Francisco and Los Angeles markets. The company is partnering with local outlets of retailers including Costco, Whole Foods and Smart & Final in San Francisco and Costco, Whole Foods and Vincente Foods in Los Angeles to fulfill orders, which can include alcohol and frozen items.

Although not many consumers are currently shopping for groceries online, those who do are likely to be repeat customers.

According to “The 2016 Online Grocery Shopper,” a survey of more than 500 U.S. online consumers from Toronto-based grocery technology provider Unata, 8% of consumers bought groceries via Internet in 2015.

However, 93% of those shoppers said they are “likely” or “very likely” to buy groceries online in 2016.

The nation’s top Internet retailer is also tops in corporate reputation.

A cloud computing/e-commerce giant heads up Fast Company’s annual ranking of the 10 most innovative companies in retail.   Amazon not only topped the retail sector category, it also came in number one in the overall World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies listing. (Rounding out the top five: Google, Uber, Apple and Snap.)      

E-commerce platform Shopify wants to help social media content creators expand into the world of online sales.

Shopify is partnering with FameBit, a Santa Monica, California-based platform that allows social media influencers and brands to collaborate for product and service endorsements. The new partnership will allow more than 31,000 of FameBit’s influencers to leverage Shopify’s VIP program and technology to expand into e-commerce.