eCommerce

The customer experience is fueling IT spending like never before. That was my main takeaway from Oracle Retail CrossTalk 2012, which was held June 26 -28, in Chicago. The following are some insights and observations from a few of the speakers at the event.

Gary Penn, VP e-commerce, Quiksilver:
“Handheld traffic is growing exponentially, and so is the revenue. You have to address it. If you don’t, you are leaving a good part of your audience out in the cold.”

Fredericksburg, Va. -- Youngstown, Ohio-based Cafaro Co. said that Ten Thousand Villages will open a new trade fair location at The Village at Towne Centre, near Fredericksburg, Va.

The 2,700-sq.-ft. store is located between Books-A-Million and Aveda Tulips SalonSpa, and is slated to open in September.

The Village at Towne Centre is the outdoor shopping district of Spotsylvania Towne Centre, a 1.7 million-sq.-ft. complex offering more than 120 department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues.
 

Home Depot has announced the expansion of its major appliance brands by adding Whirlpool, Electrolux and Frigidaire in a limited number of stores and on Homedepot.com.

The appliances will be available through the company's Depot Direct delivery network and available to be ordered in all U.S. stores. Depot Direct includes more than 3,000 appliances delivered and installed to the customer's home within one to five days of purchase. Appliance purchases through Depot Direct include free delivery and haul-away.

New York -- Disappointing same-store sales results in June weren’t necessarily unexpected, as the month typically trends weaker as shoppers have fewer reasons to shop.

Thomson Reuters, which polls 18 U.S. retail chains, projected its Same-Store Sales Index to inch up 0.5% in June, far below last year’s 6.7% rise for the month. Analysts have said that warm weather may have prompted consumers to make summer apparel purchases earlier than usual, shifting sales from later months like June.

Union, N.J. -- Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. announced that its tender offer for the outstanding shares of common stock of Cost Plus was successful.

The company said Friday that about 20.8 million shares representing about 92% of Cost Plus' outstanding stock were tendered. The company currently has approximately 22.5 million outstanding shares, according to FactSet.

Cost Plus will become a Bed Bath & Beyond subsidiary and will stop trading on the Nasdaq the first business day after the deal closes.

A soon-to-open Cabela’s store in Rogers, Ark., will test the viability of a large format store in a small market.

The opening of the 100,000-sq.-ft. Cabela’s store is slated for Thursday, August 30 and was strategically timed to kick off the Labor Day weekend. A ribbon cutting planned for 8:45 will be followed by appearances from outdoor personalities and celebrities, family events and merchandise giveaways.

New York -- U.K. retailing giant Tesco PLC could give up its American supermarket venture, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, if the chain continues to disappoint and not make a profit, RetailWeek and other British news organizations reported.

In remarks at the company’s annual meeting on Friday, Tesco CEO Philip Clarke said: “If we see there is no chance of success, we’ll do as we’ve just done in Japan,” referring to Tesco’s deal this month to exit that market.

New York -- Disney Store was honored as Innovator of the Year at the 2012 Oracle Retail Excellence Awards. The awards were announced at the annual Oracle Retail CrossTalk event, held June 26-28, at Swissôtel, Chicago.

Other Oracle award recipients included Urban Outfitters, in the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Customer Experience,” and Abercrombie & Fitch, in the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Business Performance.”