Retail

Seamless commerce is constantly evolving, and SAP is attempting to stay at the front of the curve with its new SAP Jam Communities with Commerce solution. The cloud-based customer engagement tool is natively built on the SAP Jam enterprise social collaboration platform, and also integrates with the SAP hybris commerce management platform.

At a recent event in Boston, SAP explained how the new solution enables retailers to build community pages that support and drive seamless commerce. Here are three of the most innovative community page features.

Huntsville, Ala. -- RCP Companies announced the opening of the first phase of The Shops at Merchants Walk located in Huntsville, Alabama. The property features 90,000-sq. ft. of shopping and dining experience, including the only Whole Foods Market in North Alabama along with high-end shopping options. The development extends Parkway Place retail node and connects it to the Central Business District.

For much of the past decade Kroger's growth stragey has depended on acquiring regional grocery chains. But Kroger's move to acquire a beloved MIdwestern chain has many shoppers there in an uproar.

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Photo: left: Adam Zimel; right: Micah Kagan

Getting Dense

Shoppers all across the country who long for a taste of salsa from San Antonio or tortilla chips from Dallas will love the latest news from Texas-based grocery chain H-E-B.

Bloomingdale's is apologizing after critics said one of its holiday advertisements appeared to promote date rape. The luxury department store owned by Macy's Inc apologized for the 'inappropriate' eggnog advertisement on Tuesday. [Reuters]

Shoppers have wasted no time in getting started with their holiday purchases this year, according to a new survey.

The National Retail Federation’s Consumer Holiday Spending Survey shows that 56.6% of those celebrating the holidays had already started shopping by early November, up from 54.4% last year and 16% from the 49% who had started by this time in 2008, the first time NRF asked the question. This also marks the highest percentage seen in that timeframe.

Bruce Dayton, the father of Minnesota's governor and a key figure, along with his four brothers, in building the massive retailing business that became Target Corp., has died. Dayton, 97 and the last of the brothers to die, also launched the B. Dalton bookstore chain in 1966, the Star Tribune reported. [Star Tribune]