eCommerce

Millennials shop differently than their parents, but when it comes to the end result, they are looking for the same thing: a great deal.

According to the Blackhawk Engagement Solutions’ “Millennials Disrupt Shopping” report, based on two separate surveys of 500 millennial consumers each, smartphones are a dominant method of connection to the web for millennials, with 89% using them to connect to the Internet. This compares to 75% using laptops, 45% using tablets and 37% using desktop computers.

Bridgeport Landing Development, a subsidiary of The RCI Group announced that Connecticut’s first Bass Pro Shops has opened at Steelpointe Harbor located in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Steelpointe Harbor Bass Pro Shops is a 150,000 sq. ft. store featuring Uncle Bucks Fish Bowl and Grill restaurant, Black Widow Billiards™ parlor complete with two tournament pool tables, a bowling alley with 12 full lanes, an archery range and aquarium.

Judging by its recent executive appointments, online beauty subscription retailer Birchbox is getting more and more serious about expanding in the physical space.

The company has named Benjamin Fay as VP of retail development and customer experience, with responsibility for translating the Birchbox brand experience into store design and overseeing execution of the retailer’ s off-line growth.

The details of how millennials shop may differ from their elders, but the ultimate goal is the same.

For the second time this year, Target’s e-commerce site crashed due to exceptionally high levels of activity related to a major sales promotion.

The Target site went down the morning of Cyber Monday, Nov. 30. According to reports, the crash was actually a controlled restriction of the site by Target in response to extremely heavy volumes of visitors looking for holiday bargains.

Early indicators point to retailers having an historically strong Cyber Monday.

According to the Adobe Digital Index, as of 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 30, Cyber Monday online sales had already reached $490 million. Considering Cyber Monday online sales in 2014 reached a total of around $2 billion, and early Cyber Monday sales were tracking ahead of the prior year by 14%, this is a very possible start to a record-breaking day.

Digital media company Mashable and Visa are doing a little mashing of their own to launch a new online retail entity.

The stereotype of younger consumers spending all their time glued to smartphones may have some validity, at least when it comes to shopping.

New custom Interactive Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) analysis of Prosper Insight data shows that adults ages 18-34 are more likely to favor smartphones for retail activities than any other age group.

In a new video, Amazon.com is previewing what it calls the future of retail.

Amazon demonstrates a new drone model which will allow delivery of certain items within 30 minutes or less. The drone rises vertically like a helicopter to an altitude of almost 400 feet, and then can fly like a plane for a distance of about 15 miles.

Specialty cosmetics retailer Urban Decay is making its e-commerce site as accessible as possible to as many customers as possible.

Urban Decay has integrated e-Spirit's FirstSpirit content management system (CMS) with a Demandware e-commerce platform. The CMS allows Urban Decay to manage the proliferation of content, then localize that content for each individual site the retailer operates internationally, through a feature called "UD All Access.” Urban Decay worked with e-commerce services provider OSF Global Services to launch the new feature.