eCommerce

Now that its service has gained traction with retailers, on-demand delivery provider Instacart has created a new promotional platform for brands to connect with shoppers.

L Brands Inc. kept its hot streak alive in October by posting yet another impressive increase in same-store sales.

The specialty retailer reported a 5% increase in same-store sales for the four weeks ended Oct. 31. Net sales also increased to $735.6 million, compared to net sales of $700 million for the four weeks ended Nov. 1, 2014.

Specialty athletic retailer City Sports never found its footing and, despite bringing in a veteran retailer to lead the 18-store operation, it has commenced going-out-of-business sales.

Gordon Brothers Group & Hilco Merchant Resources are managing the going-out-of-business process, which began Nov.6 at City Sports’ 18 stores in the Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Store performance disappointed almost across the board during October, and circumstances beyond retailers’ control may have had a lot to do with it.

Bass Pro Shops is exploring a bid for rival outdoors retailer Cabela's according to an exclusive report from Reuters. The news service says Bass Pro is working with an investment bank on the potential offer. Cabela's has recently begun to explore its options and has also reached out to private equity firms to solicit interest, Reuters says. [Reuters]

Holiday shoppers have high expectations of their online customer experience this year.

According to the new JDA 2015 Consumer Survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, 50% 0f respondents indicate that they will be unforgiving of retailers who provide less than satisfactory online home delivery experiences.

Delivery.com is focused on providing on-demand delivery from small, local retailers, but that doesn’t stop the company from thinking big.

Delivery.com is unveiling a new iOS app with an optimized user experience within each of Delivery.com's core categories of food, alcohol, groceries and laundry. Enhancements in the new app include visual design, customized recommendations for users, and a complementary app for Apple Watch.

Mobile commerce is getting a lot of attention, but may not play much of a role in the 2015 holiday shopping season.

According to a new survey of more than 1,500 U.S. consumers from Accenture, only 2% of holiday shoppers are planning to do the majority of their holiday shopping on mobile devices, with most (43%) citing privacy and security issues as a major reason.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open a store at Newcity, the newly opened mixed-use development located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

The 40,000-sq.-ft. store, which will be the seventh Off 5th location in Chicago, is scheduled to open in May 2016. The off-price retailer recently announced another spring 2016 store opening in Chicago, on State Street at the corner of State and Madison.

Another larger-than-life retail showcase is coming to the Big Apple.

Victoria’s Secret plans to open a 64,000-sq.-ft. store on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 51st Street. The space was formerly occupied by Forever 21, which moved out after just seven months of operation.

“It’s a very big deal from a brand standpoint,” Stuart Burgdoefer, CFO, L Brands, parent of Victoria’s Secret, said at the company’s annual investor conference.