eCommerce

Seattle – Nordstrom Inc. is letting women join the club. More specifically, Nordstrom is now allowing women to apply to its Trunk Club online personal shopper service that was previously only open to men.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. – Dollar General is taking a decidedly modern approach to the age-old tradition of back-to-school shopping. The retailer is offering its Fast Way to Save digital coupon program through Aug. 15.

To enroll or upload these coupons, customers may login to their electronic DG Digital Coupon account either through Dollar General’s website or through the DG mobile app

Clearwater, Fla. – Recreational boat retailer MarineMax Inc. should be floating after receiving positive fiscal results for the third quarter of fiscal 2015. Net income sailed 29% to $14.9 million from $11.5 million in the same period the prior year, aided by gains from sale of real estate.

Revenue grew approximately 8% to $231.8 million, compared with $214.4 million. Same-store sales increased approximately 10%.

New York – Even as retail marketing strategies shift in the new digital era, tried-and-true discounts still remain a crucial promotional device. According to new data from marketing personalization provider Sailthru, 97% of retailers use discounting as a pricing strategy.

Boston – City Sports is making things personal with its omnichannel customers. The specialty sporting goods retailer is leveraging technology from BlueConic to help the company offer a more personalized shopping experience across channels.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has made it clear with recent promotions that it has Amazon.com in its sights, and the retailer is now boning up on back-end fulfillment capability for its e-commerce business. Wal-Mart is opening two new e-commerce distribution facilities Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

It’s the question on every brand’s mind — how do I reach the millennial consumer?

Is it all about social? Should I focus on mobile? Should I allocate more of my advertising budget toward this trendy website?

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) is now a little less rosy in its sales expectations for 2015. The NRF has lowered its full-year retail sales forecast because of unexpected slow growth recorded during the first half of the year, similar to the industry’s experience in 2014.

However, NRF still expects sales will steadily increase through the remainder of the year. NRF forecasted in February that retail sales would grow 4.1% in 2015 from 2014, but today’s revision lowers the forecast to 3.5%.

What’s wrong with America? Plenty, according to the National Retail Federation which just slashed its full year retail sales forecast ahead of second quarter earnings announcements from major retailers next month.

In a classic case of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” Neiman Marcus is deepening its relationship with an organization that could be viewed as a competitor.