eCommerce

Minneapolis -- Investment firm Joh. A. Benckiser Group agreed to acquire Caribou Coffee Co. for approximately $340 million.

Caribou will continue to be based in Minneapolis and operate under its own brand and management, the companies said in a statement. As of September 30, 2012, the company had 610 coffeehouses, including 202 franchised locations, in 22 states, the District of Columbia and 10 international markets.

Reston, Va. -- Survey results released Monday by comScore revealed that the most recent work-week saw four individual days eclipse $1 billion in spending, led by Green Monday with $1.275 billion.

comScore, which has monitored holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 44 days of the November–December 2012 holiday season, reported that to date $33.8 billion has been spent online, marking a 13% increase versus the corresponding days last year.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot has added PayPal to its selection of online payment options, giving customers a secure way to pay for purchases.   

Using PayPal on the chain’s website simplifies the online checkout process by providing shoppers with a quick and secure option to pay for purchases without sharing financial information, Staples said.

Anxiety over Amazon.com is at an all time high this holiday season and a top executive at Nordstrom shared insights recently on competing successfully.

Chicago -- E-commerce and digital marketing company Acquity Group announced Monday social media findings that revealed the vast majority of retailers don’t respond to customer tweets.
 
The 2012 Brand eCommerce Audit evaluated Interbrand's 2012 Best Retail Brands on customer engagement across major digital channels, including big browser, social and mobile.
 

Purchase, N.Y. -- A SpendingPulse report released Monday by MasterCard Advisors found that after a three-week recovery of retail spending growth that started two weeks after Superstorm Sandy and lasted through the week ending Dec. 1, a slowdown occurred in the week ending Dec. 8.  

After a surge in growth in late November some key sectors such as Specialty Apparel slipped into negative growth in early December, according to the report.

Toronto -- As consumers continue to seek more convenient methods of shopping, through mobile and online, the potential for further sales erosion continues to threaten retailers, according to a new study by branding and design firm Shikatani Lacroix.

The report, “RE:STORE – Redefining Retail,” finds that 59% of U.S. shoppers “showroom” – or browse for products in store but then buy them online.

Turkish retailer Migros appears to fit Walmart’s acquisition criteria even if the timing of a potential deal is less than ideal.

Turkey’s leading retailer has been in the headlines a lot this year because the company’s private equity owner, BC Partners, is reportedly looking to dump its ownership position roughly four years after acquiring a majority stake. Various international retailers are said to have had discussions with BC Partners and Walmart is the latest, according to reports this week by the Financial Times, Reuters and other international sources.