eCommerce

By Kathy Gersch, executive VP, Kotter International

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company is expanding its presence in Latin America, with plans to open locations in Colombia, Bolivia and Panama.

Starbucks said it is on track to open its first store in Colombia, in the city of Bogota, in mid-summer 2014 through a joint venture between two of its longest-term business partners in the Latin America region – Alsea and Grupo Nutresa. During the next five years, the joint venture plans to expand aggressively in Bogota and to other major cities in Colombia.

Julep Beauty has unveiled its first fully customizable monthly beauty box subscription. Beginning this month, subscribers to the Julep Maven service can create their own personalized mix of products for their boxes, choosing from among 2 million possible combinations of full-size beauty products and limited-batch nail polishes.

Kohl’s and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions have partnered with Plug and Play for their newest program, Plug and Play Retail, to engage with startups that align with their developing technology initiatives.

Plug and Play Retail is the first brand and retail-focused startup accelerator bringing together a round-table of complementary partners to guide the direction of the program and help decide the startups accepted.

New York - Macys.com has successfully deployed the SAP InfiniteInsight solution to help better understand customer buying behavior and optimize email and website marketing campaigns. The company had a number of variables to understand when it came to understanding likelihood of a customer to spend in a certain product category.

Reston, Va. -- A report by comScore showed that, in the first quarter, desktop-based e-commerce rose 12% year-over-year to $56.1 billion, marking the 18th consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and 14th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

M-commerce spending on smartphones and tablets added $7.3 billion for the quarter, up 23%, for a digital commerce spending total of $63.4 billion in the first quarter.
 

Chico's FAS is looking to establish a Canadian footprint, and plans in late August to open three boutiques in Ontario at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket and Mapleview Shopping Centre in Burlington.

The Chico's brand was founded in 1983 as a boutique selling Mexican folk art and cotton sweaters from a store on Florida's Sanibel Island. Today, Chico's sells exclusively designed, private branded clothing for women.

Sioux Falls, S.D. – A retail center is being planned for Sioux Falls, South Dakota. According to the Argus Leader, preliminary plans for the Market at Canyon Creek Development include two 17,000-sq.-ft. retail buildings and include a drug store, three restaurants and a bank.

Owner RMB Associates hopes to have the site developed by 2016. A Get N Go convenience store is also planned for the northeast corner of the site, which is owned by Olson Oil Co.