eCommerce

Target’s annual shareholders’ meeting will be held June 9 in downtown Chicago at the location of a soon-to-open CityTarget store on State Street. The venue is an interesting choice that speaks volumes about the potential for the new urban format.

RESTON, Va. — ComScore reported that online retail spending reached $44.3 billion for first quarter 2012, up 17% from the year-ago period.

ComScore said retail e-commerce sale estimates represented the tenth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Additional findings included:

• 48.8% of e-commerce transactions included free shipping, the highest percentage for a quarter on record outside of the holiday season;

 

ANN ARBOR, Mich.  — Walmart has put a considerable amount of time an effort into its digital business, and that appears to have been well worth it as the company achieved an 82, from a prior-year score of 79, on ForeSee's 2012 rating of Internet retailers. Achieving an 82 is impressive, as a score of 80 is the minimim needed to be considered "superior." The survey scored all retailers on the list out of a 100.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — HSN is launching an exclusive collection of fashion jewelry inspired by some of Universal Pictures' most iconic films. In celebration of the legendary studio's centennial anniversary, The Universal Vault Jewelry Collection—consisting of necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and pins—is designed to bring to life the romance, adventure and prestige of the past 100 years in film, HSN said. In 2012, Universal will be restoring and re-releasing 13 of its most well-known films.

Atlanta -- A Wednesday report by First Data found that April sales were negatively impacted by a March Easter, but that there has been an earlier start to the spring spending season.

CINCINNATI — Macy's Inc. reported a significant increase in sales for the first quarter, thanks to a strong performance in its online business. The company reported that total sales for the quarter increased 4.3% to $6.1 billion. Online sales for the quarter increased 33.7% and contributed 1.5 percentage points to the company's same-store sales increase of 4.4% for the period.

Macy's Inc. reported an earnings increase of 43% to 43 cents per diluted share, compared with 30 cents per diluted share in the same period last year.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.  — Though 79 is just one point shy of what ForeSee considers a superior score on its annual top 100 online retailers for customer satisfaction list, Target should still be concerned as it was three points behind rival Walmart, and three points does make a difference.

With the lowest score on the list being 69 and the highest being 89, achieved by Amazon.com, most retailers on the list had a score in the 70s, while 36 on the list earned the distinction of scoring 80 or higher. The scores are based on a 100-point scale.

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc.'s online shop, Piperlime, will make its retail store debut this fall, at 121 Wooster St. in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

The new 4,000 sq. ft. Piperlime store will offer a similar curated assortment as online, the company said. Styled as a boutique, the store will feature the best range of coveted, iconic brands like Milly, Frye and Citizens of Humanity as well as little known finds including Tinley Road, Ash and Maison Scotch.

San Francisco -- Online retailer Piperlime, a division of Gap Inc., will open its first retail store this fall, in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City.

The 4,000-sq.-ft. Piperlime store will offer a similar curated assortment as online, and be styled as a boutique. It will feature a range of brands, from Fryle to Citizens of Humanity, along with upcoming, lesser-known ones, such as Tinley Road and Maison Scotch.

Reston, Va. -- Online U.S. retail spending reached $44.3 billion in first quarter 2012, up 17% versus a year ago, according to comScore’s Q1 2012 Retail survey. It was the tenth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

In other findings, 38% of tablet owners have made a purchase on their devices within the past month. Apparel was the most popular category for purchase among tablet shoppers.