eCommerce

Boston -- Amazon.com is America's most relevant retailer, followed by Target, according to Brodeur Partners’ Retail Relevance Top 10 ranking. The study asked shoppers to look at 21 of the nation's top retailers and select the "most" and "least" personally relevant retailer in four specific areas: practicality, values, sensory appeal and social appeal.

New York -- More than half of consumers (67%) said they plan to spend the same or more at retailers than they did last year, a nine percentage point increase from last year, according to the 2012 Spring Consumer Pulse Survey by Deloitte. Consumers also feel slightly better about the economy this year than last; 57% of survey respondents said the economy has been recently recovering, compared with 52% last year.

Consumer Reports readers who shop at Target gave the company middle-of-the-road marks on service and its perishable offerings, but the company scored better on pricing and received the highest marks possible on cleanliness.

New York -- Saks Inc. announced hat Michael Burgess has been named president, Saks Direct, effective May 7. Burgess will report to Denise Incandela, executive VP and CMO for Saks Fifth Avenue and current President, Saks Direct.

Burgess has served as executive VP of the consumer division of FTD at United Online since 2008 where he led merchandising, marketing, consumer information technology, and several other functions of the growing FTD North America business segment.
 

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN announced Monday it has acquired lifestyle brand Chasing Fireflies. Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

The purchase, which was made through the multichannel retailer’s Cornerstone Brands segment, will accelerate HSN’s move into content-driven lifestyle businesses.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Fameco Real Estate announced that David Hinkle has joined the company as VP business development. 

Hinkle previously served as president and CEO of NMD, the holding company for National Book Warehouse and The Book Market, a discount book seller with 185 stores; most recently he was CEO and Co-founder of VPI Business Advisors.

 

NEW YORK — Francisco Costa, who serves as women's creative director for Calvin Klein Collection will design a limited edition capsule dress line exclusively for Macy's.

According to Macy's, this is the first time Costa has designed a more affordable dress offering for a national retailer.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Co. said Tuesday that Google Offers and Banana Republic are joining with Starbucks and Opportunity Finance Network to support the Create Jobs for USA program.

The pair, which are the first businesses to join Starbucks in the initiative, will run special promotions and make donations in support of the program that is designed to raise money to put Americans back to work.