eCommerce

The saga — and drama — of American Apparel Inc. continues.

If a “leader” is someone who knows how to take charge, achieve goals and inspire others along the way — even in the most trying of circumstances — then the women featured in this special section are leaders in every sense of the word. They have toiled and proved their mettle — and smarts — in a field that traditionally has not been all that female-friendly: technology.

The final tally is in, and it was a happy holiday for retailers engaging in digital commerce, with help from strong mobile performance.

According to data from comScore, total digital spend for the holiday season (including preliminary mobile commerce estimates) reached $69.1 billion in 2015. This represents about a 13% annual gain from $61.3 billion spent in the 2014 season.

Toys “R” Us produced surprisingly strong results, especially online, in what is proving to be a holiday season characterized by mixed results from retailers who have disclosed results.

The Finish Line has promoted its president to CEO and plans to close a quarter of its stores as the retailer said supply chain problems hurt its third quarter performance.

The retailer announced that Sam Sato will succeed Glenn Lyon as CEO of The Finish Line, Inc., effective Feb. 28. Lyon will transition to the role of non-executive chairman of the board.

Sally Beauty Holdings is turning to a 25-year retail veteran to help the company boost sales and drive growth.

Sharon M. Leite has been appointed president of the Sally Beauty Supply LLC, U.S. and Canada business, effective Feb. 1.

Consumers are changing the way they browse and shop for goods using mobile devices.

According to the State of Retailing Online 2016 study from Forrester Research, Shop.org and Bizrate Insights, growing use of smartphones by consumers, a shift in investments by technology companies and continued optimization strategies from retailers has landed smartphones on top as a driver of mobile sales and traffic for retail companies.

Consumers are changing the way they browse and shop for goods using mobile devices.

According to the State of Retailing Online 2016 study from Forrester Research, Shop.org and Bizrate Insights, growing use of smartphones by consumers, a shift in investments by technology companies and continued optimization strategies from retailers has landed smartphones on top as a driver of mobile sales and traffic for retail companies.