eCommerce

Despite posting a larger-than-expected loss for its third quarter, J.C. Penney pointed to hopeful signs that its business is starting to stabilize as its heads into the holiday season.

Penney reported a loss of $489 million in the three months ended Nov.2, compared with a loss of $123 million in the year-ago period.

Sales fell 5.1% to $2.78 billion. Same-store sales were down 4.8%, but the period ended with its first monthly gain since December 2011. And online sales rose 24.5%, to $266 million.

Boston – Despite conventional industry wisdom, shoppers who use mobile devices for showrooming are almost twice as likely to purchase from the retailer in-store or online (38%) than buy elsewhere (21.6%). A new study from e-commerce technology provider SeeWhy, “Showrooming Realities: When Worlds Collide,” also shows that one third (33%) of more 60,000 consumers surveyed who owned a mobile device had used a device as part of their shopping process, and 12% do it routinely.

By Sven Hammar, co-founder and CEO, Apica

Recent public and embarrassing website crashes of Amazon, Groupon and even Google accentuates the need to take web and mobile performance more seriously. Unresponsive websites and mobile applications is comparable to a physical shop throwing out its customers and locking its doors. Luckily, there are ways to minimize the risk of slow response times and site crashes.

Los Angeles -- Women are more responsive to mobile alerts detailing discounts and more likely than men to shop in-store to save on shipping costs, according to recent data from fashion shopping app Snapette, a business unit of PriceGrabber. The survey revealed that mobile ad spend grew by 81% this year, with women aged 25-34 driving the highest click through and conversation rates.

Austin, Texas — Jones Lang LaSalle has announced the addition of seven brokerage experts to its national program. Austin McWilliams joined the firm as a senior VP; Travis Sawvell and Jon Switzer joined as VPs, and Katie Carlisle joined as an associate, all based in Austin. Their additions come on the heels of the firm’s newly formed Austin Retail Brokerage practice led by newcomers Todd Wallace and Robert O’Farrell.  

Snap36, a leading provider of complete 360-degree spin photography services, has added retail industry veteran Steve Embree to its executive leadership team. Embree will act as director of business development.

The company plans to leverage his experience to accelerated Snap36 adoption throughout the online retail and distribution industries. Embree will be responsible for driving business development and go-to-market strategies for Snap36 across both B2C and B2B markets.

Dallas — Jared, The Galleria of Jewelry, has signed leases for new locations in Lubbock, Corpus Christi and Midland, Texas, according to Venture Commercial Real Estate, which represented Jared in the transactions. All locations are under construction and expected to open soon.

Despite a weak demand for core office supplies, Staples is driving growth online and in new categories, which resulted in net earnings of $135.2 million for the third quarter ended Nov. 2, compared with a loss of $596.2 million a year earlier.