eCommerce

Target Corp.’s efforts to turnaround its business appear to be taking hold — at least based on its better-than-expected first quarter performance.     The discounter broke through the gloom that has characterized many other retailers’ first quarter results with earnings and sales that beat the Street and its own expectations. The company also gave a brighter outlook for the full year.   

German discount grocer Lidl is set to shake up the competition with prices that promise to turn up the heat on its U.S. competitors, who are already engaged in a price war.    Lidl on Wednesday revealed the locations of the first 20 stores it will open this summer in the United States, starting on June 15. (See end of story for listing). The stores — in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia — are the first of up to 100 locations the grocer plans to open across the East Coast by next summer.    

Amazon may have its sights set on a new, multi-billion dollar market.   The online giant may be on the cusp of entering the pharmaceutical dispensing business, according to a report by CNBC. The company reportedly has hired a general manager whose role is said to be helping the online retailer explore how to hang a pharmacy shingle.  

As demand for American baby products increases among Chinese shoppers, Babyhaven not only saw an opportunity, it ran with it.   Babyhaven is an online retailer of baby and children’s merchandise in the United States. Like other brands however, the company is feeling pressure from competitors like Amazon, Walmart, and other traditional category retailers, such as Babies “R” Us, that can not only compete on price, but can offer speedier delivery windows.   

Staples reported mixed results for its first quarter as earnings came in line with expectations but its revenue fell short.    The office supplies retailer reported adjusted earnings of 17 cents a share, in line with Wall Street forecasts. Total sales fell 5% to $4.1 billion, short of analysts’ expectations. Total company same-store sales fell 3%, beating estimates.   

The world’s largest home improvement retailer raised its earnings expectations as it announced first quarter sales and earnings gains that beat the Street.   Net earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 were $2.0 billion, better than expected, compared with net earnings of $1.8 billion, in the same quarter last year. For the first quarter of fiscal 2017, diluted earnings per share increased 16.0% from the same period in the prior year.  

Executives at Walmart are planning their next move in anticipation of its newest rival — and asking suppliers to support their cause.   The European grocer Lidl, which has a track record for disruption, is preparing to open its first 20 United States-based stores this summer. The first locations are set to open their doors in the next few weeks. As a result, Walmart is asking suppliers to keep their prices low, according to the Consumerist.   

Wayfair is streamlining the way its shoppers navigate its vast online catalog as they search for specific looks.    The retailer launched “Search with Photo,” a new feature that leverages artificial intelligence to make it easier for shoppers to find their desired furnishings. Shoppers can now simply snap a photo to find and purchase specific products that match the looks they see and love.