Supermarket/Grocery

Retail is a lot like real estate – it’s all about location, location, location.

At least this is the conclusion of the fourth annual Mobile Path to Purchase study from location-based marketing provider xAd. The 2015 report reveals that 35% of U.S. shoppers who researched their impending purchases on their mobile device expect to buy within the hour.

In addition, those who research goods and services on the go are nearly twice as likely to purchase within the hour than those at home, and have a greater likelihood to convert in store.

The Internet of Everything (IoE) has moved from vision to reality in retail and food industries, creating a “Connected Food” movement that is transforming everything from the way consumers shop, to how products are sold and how retailers can run their businesses.

Consumers are making more e-commerce transactions, and smartphones are helping to drive growth.

According to the new Q3 2015 Performance Index report from e-commerce technology platform MarketLive, e-commerce sales continue to improve across all retailer categories (apparel, beauty, home furnishings, catalog, brick-and-mortar, and brand-direct), and across all major performance metrics. These include revenues (+13.5%), traffic (+19.8%), and average order value (+3.9% to $158).

Two leading retailers highlighted different aspects of their digital customer experience efforts at the recent SAP Retail Forum in Miami.

Keri Stelle, director, Target Technology Services, said Target Corp. is trying to modify its entire corporate culture to respond to changing needs of the new digital customer in a session titled, “Who is the Evolving Target Guest?”

“It’s not just about Mom anymore,” said Stelle. “Today, the entire family wields influence over the retail purchase.”

Two leading retailers highlighted different aspects of their digital customer experience efforts at the recent SAP Retail Forum in Miami.

Keri Stelle, director, Target Technology Services, said Target Corp. is trying to modify its entire corporate culture to respond to changing needs of the new digital customer in a session titled, “Who is the Evolving Target Guest?”

“It’s not just about Mom anymore,” said Stelle. “Today, the entire family wields influence over the retail purchase.”

Moms are now much more likely than ever to complete a purchase via mobile, rather than simply using their devices to compare prices and find coupons.

According to a new infographic from pregnancy and parenting website BabyCenter, in just one year, there has been a 33% increase in moms using their smartphones for making actual purchases. Sixty-four percent of moms say they had completed a purchase via mobile in the last month, in comparison to 48% who said the same in 2014.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Inland Real Estate Acquisitions announced the acquisition of five properties in September on behalf of Inland related parties totaling nearly 500,000 sq. ft. across five states. The acquisitions collectively total $138.4 million in purchase price.

Walmart is launching a new initiative with InComm and Pursuant Health that allows health plans to promote health risk assessments at kiosks in Walmart stores.

InComm, a leading prepaid product and transaction services company, and Pursuant Health (formerly SoloHealth) announced the partnership at the 2015 Money 2020 Conference in Las Vegas.