Sales & Marketing

With only days to go in the 2016 holiday shopping season, online desktop spending continues to rise.   For the holiday season-to-date, $55.2 billion has been spent online, marking a 13% increase versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week, Dec. 12-18, posted a strong 15% growth in online sales, marking $7.6 billion in desktop spending during the last full week before Christmas.  

Did Amazon’s website had a technical glitch on one of the biggest shoppings day of the year?   According to various reports, Amazon’s site had a glitch on  “Super Saturday”  that temporarily prevented customers from making purchases.   

Luxury brands seems to be going the extra mile this holiday season.   This is according to “2016 Holiday Shipping,” a report from Kurt Salmon, part of Accenture Strategy, that analyzed orders with 84 retailers across a broad range of categories on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016. The study analyzed online orders that were shipped to consumers, as well as those collected in-store, to measure shipping speed, accuracy and cost.  

As the online shopping window is closing for traditional home delivery, PetSmart is offering free same-day shipments until Dec. 24.   The service is available in 17 metro areas across the nation, including Boston, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, San Jose, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York City, Yonkers and Northern New Jersey. Overall, the same-day deliveries will cover nearly 2,500 ZIP codes.   

A dramatic spiral staircase highlighted by three chandeliers and a cascade of lights and crystals suspended from a 30-ft. ceiling welcomes shoppers at Shreve & Co. new flagship in San Francisco.   The two-level, 15,000-sq.-ft. store features a modern, luxurious design, with in-store boutiques, private viewing suites for personalized consultations and an entertainment room. It also houses an array of services, from a dedicated watchmaker to an estate jewelry appraiser and consultant.   

A vast majority of Americans now buy online, but that doesn’t mean it is their favorite way to shop.    Approximately eight-in-ten Americans are now online shoppers: 79% have made an online purchase of any type, while 51% have bought something using a cellphone and 15% have made purchases by following a link from social media sites, according to the Pew Research Center.  

Land’s End has appointed a seasoned fashion and luggage veteran as its next chief executive.    The apparel retailer named Jerome Griffith to be its next CEO, effective March 6, 2017. Griffith most recently served as president and CEO of upscale luggage brand Tumi Holdings from 2009 until its sale in August 2016 to Samsonite International. He will also join the Lands’ End board of directors.  

The wealthiest segment of the U.S. population is cutting back a little this holiday season.