eCommerce

Whole Foods Market has been offering deliveries via Instacart in select markets for about a year, but reportedly is significantly extending the scope of the deal.

According to Re/code, Whole Foods has at least in principle made an unspecified investment in Instacart. Whole Foods has also reportedly signed a five-year deal making Instacart its exclusive perishables delivery provider.

Visa has been busy adding new retailers to its Visa Checkout online payment service, and now is rewarding them with an upgraded offering.

In April 2016, Visa will be releasing a set of new enhancements designed to improve both the consumer interface and ability for retailers to customize and integrate the service. Most features will be automatically available to retailers.

The CEO of HSN says that for the first time ever, more than half of sales at HSN came from digital channels.

But onine sales did not make up for heavy discounting, and the companyposted profit and revenue declines.The company reported that for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, net sales decreased 2% and adjusted EBITDA decreased 3%.Adjusted EPS was $1.15 compared to $1.22 in the prior year.

Build-A-Bear is adding two new board members whose backgrounds should serve the company well as it moves forward with its transformation plan.

Build-A-Bear announced that Tim Kilpin and Sarah Personette have been appointed to the company’s board of directors.

Kilpin, 55, will serve as a member of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Compensation and Development Committee. Personette, 36, will serve as a member of the Compensation and Development Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Atlanta-based The Home Depot reported record fourth-quarter and fiscal year results, as it emphasized "the interconnected customer experience" and rode a recovering U.S. housing market.

The company's fourth-quarter sales were a record $21.0 billion, up 9.5% from the same quarter last year. Net earnings for the three months were $1.5 billion, compared with $1.4 billion a year ago.

Comp-store sales for the fourth quarter were up 7.1%, and up 8.9% for U.S. stores.

DSW has a robust store expansion plan in the works to tap future penetration within the U.S. market this year.

"New store growth is an important and exciting piece of the DSW formula. It allows us to bring the brand to more communities and build relationships with new customers. More stores also enable us to provide additional customers with immediate access to our full assortment. We look forward to engaging with these new customers and helping them find the perfect shoe at the prefect price," said Valara Gee, VP Stores

The Retail Design Institute has revealed the finalists for its 45th Annual International Store Design Awards Program.

All the awards, including the highly anticipated Store of the Year Award, will be revealed, and bestowed on the honorees, at the Institute’s annual Awards Gala on March 12, 2016, at the Hilton Anatole, Dallas. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

Here are the finalists (in alphabetical order):

When it comes to providing a positive environment for online shoppers, one retailer stands above the rest.

In conjunction with its 18th Annual Mystery Shopping Study conducted in the fourth quarter of 2015, the e-tailing group has released its ninth annual Customer Experience Index. Nordstrom.com received a top score of 86.75. Websites are scored on a 100-point scale based on an assessment of metrics from five key pages, presence and execution of vital merchandising tactics, and exemplary customer service.