eCommerce

Acquisition weighs on Ascena comps
Strong sales at Maurices and Lane Bryant weren’t enough to lift Ascena in the first quarter, as the company reported a decrease in comps.

For the period ended Oct. 24, the company reported a net loss of 10 cents per diluted share compared to net income of 32 cents per diluted share in the same period of fiscal 2015. The company blamed the decrease on transaction costs related to the acquisition of Ann Inc., which closed during the first quarter fof fiscal 2016. Comps dropped 3% in the first quarter.
Retailers give thanks for Cyber Week
Despite a few hiccups with site availability, Cyber Week 2015 on the whole was a huge success for the retail industry and bodes well for the remainder of the holiday season.

According to data from Adobe, from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, consumers spent $11 billion online. This marked a 15% increase from Cyber Week in 2014 and represented 30% of a total $39.5 billion in November online sales. Adobe predicts consumers will spend $1 billion a day online every day from Dec. 1- Dec. 18.

Forever 21 connects consumers with new app

Forever 21 is heeding the popular wisdom that mobile devices serve as omnichannel remote controls with its new app.

The fast-fashion chain is unveiling a new Android app and updating its existing iPhone app. Designed to enhance the shopping experience in-store and online, the app features five key touch points, including:

• F21 Inspiration – displays shoppable editorial stories, shop by outfits, lookbooks and exclusive videos.
Discounts few and far between on big retail weekend

It’s no wonder so many shoppers were not impressed with some of the big holiday deals being offered by big retailers this past week.
Birchbox puts together team for brick-and-mortar expansion

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.
Kohl’s has a heck of a week

With all the attention focused on generally strong online holiday sales during “Cyber Week” (Nov. 23-29), it may be instructive to look at the experience of one major retailer.

Kohl’s has released an infographic summarizing what so far is a successful digital holiday shopping season. Among the facts and figures Kohl’s has released about the performance of Kohls.com during Cyber Week:
Walmart: Mobile is 'dominant shopping trend'
Report: What retailer dominated social media on Cyber Monday?

One retailer was clearly in a league of its own when it came to social media dominance of Cyber Monday.
Study details shopping habits of millennials

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.
Cyber Monday spending hits all-time high

Cyber Monday 2015 will be a day for the retail record books, at least until next holiday season.

Acquisition weighs on Ascena comps

Retailers give thanks for Cyber Week

Forever 21 connects consumers with new app

Discounts few and far between on big retail weekend

Birchbox puts together team for brick-and-mortar expansion

Kohl’s has a heck of a week

Walmart: Mobile is 'dominant shopping trend'

Report: What retailer dominated social media on Cyber Monday?

Study details shopping habits of millennials

Cyber Monday spending hits all-time high