eCommerce

Chicago -- Retail CFOs predict a 3.9% increase in total sales and a 3.7% increase in same-store sales in 2015, according to a new BDO USA survey.

While the forecast is about one percentage point lower than 2014’s bullish projections, 66% of retailers expect comparable store sales to increase, and with 71% of retailers including online sales in their comparable store sales reports, a considerable amount of this 2015 growth may come from further e-commerce sales, which grew 16% in 2014, according to eMarketer.

Rockford, Mich. -- Wolverine Worldwide posted fourth-quarter net income of $10.7 million, following a $1.7 million loss for the year-ago period. The company said it is increasing its brand-building investments in 2015, focusing on omnichannel initiatives and international expansion.

A new set of stiff federal regulations reportedly may limit or even scuttle Amazon.com’s plans for a drone-based aerial delivery service.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says operators of unmanned commercial aircraft, which would include Amazon drones, must keep the craft in their line of sight and not fly them over people. The FAA is currently consulting with individuals and interested parties about drone regulations, and has said it is willing to be flexible in how rules are written and implemented.

Philadelphia - Urban Outfitters Inc. plans to relocate its Trenton, South Carolina e-commerce fulfillment center to Gap, Pennsylvania. Construction of the new one million-sq.-ft. fulfillment center in Gap is on schedule to be complete by July 2015.

New York -- Jonathan Ive, senior VP of design at Apple, is working on a redesign of Apple stores to make them feel more like a “natural” environment for the forthcoming Apple Watch, according to an article in The New Yorker.

“Ive has begun to work with (Angela) Ahrendts, Apple’s senior VP of retail, on a redesign-as yet unannounced-of the Apple Stores,” author Ian Parker writes in the article.

Urban Outfitters is taking its omnichannel strategy to the next level by relocating its e-commerce fulfillment center to a new, 1 million square foot building in Pennsylvania.   The retail company plans to relocate its Trenton, S.C., e-commerce fulfillment center to a new building in Gap, Pa. Construction of the fulfillment center in Gap is on schedule to be complete by July.  

By Frank Layo, Kurt Salmon

First the bad news: The chronic congestion tying the West Coast ports in knots is on track to cost U.S. retailers some $7 billion this year, and losses could total nearly $37 billion by the end of 2016.

And the good news? At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be much to speak of.

Armonk, N.Y. - Consumers headed online for their Valentine’s Day shopping this year. According to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark data, during Valentine’s week (Feb. 7 – 13) online shopping rose 10.2% from the same period in 2014.

In addition to overall sales, consumers ramped up their shopping efforts the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. Growth was seen in key verticals including: