Loyalty Marketing

Seattle -- Online jewelry retailer Blue Nile said Thursday it has launched two new websites that cater to French- and Spanish-speaking shoppers. The sites also take purchases in the preferred currencies.

“Constantly improving our service and shopping experience for our international customers is one of our primary goals, and I am thrilled with the launch of our French and Spanish language websites,” said Vijay Talwar, Blue Nile president and general manager of International.

New York -- Total holiday sales are expected to climb to between $920 and $925 billion, representing a modest 3.5% to 4% increase in November through January holiday sales (excluding motor vehicles and gasoline) over last season, according to Deloitte’s holiday forecast. The forecast is below last year's 5.9% gain.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation estimates that U.S. retailers and their customers are benefiting from savings of up to $18 million every day since the implementation of the debit card swipe fee reform.

Minneapolis -- Contradicting claims that showrooming undermines retail sales, new survey results from loyalty management company Aimia revealed that showroomers exhibit more loyal behavior than non-showroomers, making them an ideal target for retailers.

Retail showroomers, who browse for items in-store before using their smart phones to find a lower price online, were also found to be active participants in loyalty and reward programs, according to the "Through the Looking Glass" retail brief released on Tuesday.

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food is bringing back its A+ School Rewards program.

Amazon.com, Trader Joe’s and Costco Wholesale Corp. came out on top with consumers in a survey by global consulting firm OC&C Strategy Consultants. Rounding out the top five were Zappos and iTunes.

The leaves haven’t even turned yet in my part of the country, but the holiday onslaught is already well under way. Specifically, the annual deluge of forecasts and predictions as retail consultants, analysts, economists and others try to read the tea leaves with regards to the upcoming holiday season.

For many retail brands, Chapter 11 is not always the end of the story. Just consider the sequel being crafted by home furnishings retailer Bombay Company, which was founded in 1978 as a mail-order operation and grew to a national presence with 461 stores before filing for bankruptcy in late 2007 and closing all its U.S. locations.