eCommerce

New York - New York City’s first outlet center is expected to transform the Staten Island waterfront when it opens in 2016 adjacent to the 630-ft.-high New York observation wheel on the New York Harbor.

Overstock.com is once again getting attention for the design of its mobile apps.

The company has received top honors in the Web Marketing Association's 2014 MobileWebAwards for “best iOS retail mobile application.” Overstock’s Android application received the same award last year.

Oklahoma City - Party Galaxy might be ready to start its holiday celebration a little early. The omnichannel specialty retailer recently saw a 1,520% increase in its social media-generated website traffic in just 30 days, driven by SocialCentiv, a patented Twitter marketing tool.   

  New York - Online marketer Rent the Runway has signed a lease to open a store in Chicago. It will be the third freestanding store for the company, with one in New York City, and one in Washington, D.C. The company also operates a shop inside the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.   Rent the Runway  rents designer dresses for four days or eight days. Prices range from $30 to $450 for four-day rentals, depending on the dress. It also rents jewelry, handbags and other accessories. 

E-commerce has changed the way consumers purchase products, but until very recently, the basic structure of the transaction and sale itself hadn’t evolved much: People browse for products they want, compare prices across sites, maybe submit a code for a discount coupon if they have one and make a purchase. But a recent development points to a big change on the horizon for ecommerce, and the symptom is the massive sales growth achieved by major retailers who have embraced the new model.

Washington, D.C. – Retail sales showed slow but steady growth during November 2014. According to the National Retail Federation, retail sales, not including automobiles, gasoline stations or restaurants, increased 0.6% seasonally-adjusted from October and 3.2% unadjusted from November 2013.  The increases were in line with NRF’s holiday sales forecast, which anticipates an increase of 4.1% from 2013.   

New York – Activist investor fund Starboard Value has reportedly purchased a 6% stake in Staples Inc. and upped its ownership of Office Depot from 8.6% to 10%. According to the Wall Street Journal, Starboard Value may be positioning itself to pressure the two office supply retailers to merge.  

Expense control and a more rational promotional environment helped Toys “R” Us reduce the size of its third quarter operating loss but the company had little to say about its outlook for Christmas sales and profits.