eCommerce

The emphasis on omnichannel commerce has largely laid to rest (at least for now) the debate of online versus offline. Indeed, A.T. Kearney put it best in the title of a recent study, “On Solid Ground: Brick and Mortar is the Foundation of Omnichannel Retailing.”

With nearly 1,100 stores in malls nationwide, it appears that 2015 was not the summer of the sneaker for Finish Line.

The retailer reported weaker-than-expected sales for its second quarter ended Aug. 29. The results weren’t awful, with sales advancing 3.5% to $483.2 million and same-store sales up 1.5%. However, gas prices were in free fall for much of the year and the unemployment rate was in decline, which should have left Finish Line’s core customer with money in their pockets and no reason to not drive to the mall.

Charlotte, N.C. -- The Chambers Group, an X Team International partner and full-service real estate brokerage firm announced that Jenn Olevitch-Roberson has joined the company as partner to lead the company’s second location in Raleigh, North Carolina. The office will open Oct. 1, and, over the course of the next 12 months, The Chambers Group will add approximately six new and seasoned brokers to their team in Raleigh.

Dallas -- Trademark Property Co. announced that BuzzBrews,’ Cinépolis USA and Café Victoria will join Victory Park, a 75-acre mixed-use development in downtown Dallas. BuzzBrews’ and Café Victoria to open in early 2016 and Cinépolis USA, targeted for 2017.

We live in the age of the empowered consumer – with little patience and sky-high demands for personalized shopping experiences. Today’s consumers are used to having everything they want available to them at the swipe of a finger or within a physical store. When there’s an app for nearly everything along with ultra-accurate search technologies, brands need to make sure they’re delivering on their promises and providing seamless and relevant customer experiences across all channels –mobile, web, social, call center, physical stores and more.

After a 16% increase in e-commerce sales in 2014, another 14% increase is projected this year, in turn driving greater customer expectations.* Today’s shopper is more connected than ever before, which means they have more information and can turn to any number of retailers for the products they want. The bottom line is if they don’t have the experience they desire, they will go elsewhere, especially during the holiday shopping frenzy.

Ross Stores Inc. is continuing an aggressive growth strategy for both its Ross Dress for Less and DD’s Discount banners. The new store openings are part of the retailer’s 2015 expansion program, totaling approximately 90 new locations during the year.

Ross Dress for Less will open four new stores on Oct. 10. These include two new stores in the Chicago area: a 25,000-sq.-ft. store in Palatine located in the Deer Grove Centre, and a 24,000-sq.-ft. Joliet store is located in Joliet Commons.

Shopify is keeping busy these days. The cloud-based omnichannel retail platform is launching a new credit card reader that will allow U.S.-based Shopify merchants to securely accept chip and PIN, tap, and swipe credit and debit cards.

The reader will also accept contactless payment technologies like Apple Pay. The device is designed for Shopify POS, the company’s iPad and iPhone POS used by retail and pop-up stores. Shopify is currently accepting pre-orders, with card readers to ship in the fourth quarter of this year.

There’s no time like face time. Whether closing a multi-million dollar business deal or selling discount apparel, nothing moves the needle like human engagement. And although modern POS solutions have been revolutionary in integrating inventory, customer data, omnichannel sales, and a slew of other retail success factors, large cash-wraps have driven a physical wedge between merchant and customer.

As of Oct. 1, retailers who do not comply with the Europay, Mastercard, Visa (EMV) security standard that relies on embedded chips in payment cards face a shift in card fraud liability. Many EMV issues have not yet been resolved. Here are three big ones:

Swipe left out
Retailers have been warned repeatedly that if they do not implement EMV-compliant POS terminals, they will bear liability for any fraud resulting from an EMV card transaction.