eCommerce

New York City -- New York & Co. said Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Oct. 30 was $1.9 million, compared with a per-share loss 11 cents in the year-ago period.

Net sales were $238.2 million in the quarter, up from $227.9 million a year earlier. Same-store sales rose 3.6%.

New York & Co. currently operates 579 stores in 43 states.

By Charles Nicholls, [email protected]

So what can you do during the crazy holiday season to reduce shopping cart abandonment? We thought we’d put together a holiday season checklist to help you keep your customers in the shopping cart this Christmas.

Before thinking about solutions to your shopping cart abandonment problem, it’s useful to look at the reasons why customers abandon. Based on this Forrester study, you can group the top five reasons into:

New York City -- According to a special national consumer poll commissioned by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs, 31% of households plan to shop on Black Friday in 2010 compared with 26% in 2009. However, the strongest driver of Black Friday shopping is children, as 43% of households with kids are planning to shop on that day. Additionally, 37% of households reported that they plan to shop on the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp.'s fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 22.6%, beating analysts' estimates, boosted by improvements in its credit-card business and rising food sales. The chain also projected a strong holiday, saying it expects an important sales measure to rise more sharply than it has in three years. It is hoping to lure more shoppers during the holidays with its updated store layout and a new credit-card program that offers 5% off all purchases.

Fort Meyers, Fla.  -- Chico’s FAS said its third-quarter profit  rose 27% to $28.8 million from $22.7 million a year ago, driven by higher sales. The results beat analysts projections.

Net sales rose 8.1% to $483 million, from $446.9 million a year ago. Same-store sales rose 3.1%.

Direct-to-consumer sales, which includes online sales and isn’t included in comparable-store sales, increased about 41% to $34.4 million in the quarter.

Washington, D.C. -- After going head-to-head with discounted holiday gifts such as luxury cashmere sweaters and appliances last year, gift cards are expected to emerge as winners this holiday season. According to NRF’s 2010 Gift Card Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, Americans will spend an average of $145.61 on gift cards, up from $139.91 last year. Total gift-card spending is expected to reach $24.78 billion.