Sales & Marketing

One of the nation’s top mall operators is expanding an innovative concept is designed to solve the top pain point of online shopping: returns.    Macerich is expanding its Happy Returns service to three additional malls: Fashion Outlets of Chicago, The Shops at North Bridge, and Tysons Corner Center. The service builds on the success of the mall operator’s first Return Bar, at Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, Calif.  

Wallets are definitely getting lighter this holiday season, especially as more shoppers use mobile wallets.   Nearly one quarter of consumers (24.2%) currently use mobile wallets, and 48.5% plan to make a gift purchase with their digital wallet this holiday season. Further, more than two thirds (69.6%) of wallet users indicated they would use their mobile wallets even more if more merchants allowed them to pay that way.  

Tiffany & Co.’s sterling jewel — its flagship on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue — is feeling the impact of beefed up security and protests at Trump Tower, which is located next door to the store.     Since the election, Tiffany said its flagship, the retailer’s largest location and a tourist magnet, has seen an “adverse effect” and sales softness” compared with the year before and relative to the company’s other U.S. stores. And it sees no quick fix of the problem. 

Move over Cyber Monday, Cyber Week is the new buzz term.    Cyber Week, comprised of Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 23 through Cyber Monday, Nov. 28, is attracting more shoppers as they “grow more and more comfortable shopping on their phones and tablets, opening up the timetable for brands to reach them during the holiday shopping season," said Tony Zito, CEO, Rakuten Marketing.  

The District at Green Valley Ranch outside of Las Vegas gave a shot in the arm to its healthy lifestyle credentials with the signing of three new tenants — CycleBar, Drip Doctors, and Pressed for Juice.   Owned by Vestar, the 385,000-sq.-ft. open-air center is the largest retail component of Green Valley Ranch, a master-planned community in Henderson whose centerpiece is a hotel-casino resort of the same name run by Station Casinos.  

Connect with retail professionals involved in the planning/design, construction and maintenance of stores and restaurants at Chain Store Age’s annual SPECS show, March 12 -14, 2017, Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, Florida.    

Ashley Furniture associates can now help shoppers throughout their shopping experience, without ever leaving their side.   Through a partnership with Mad Mobile, Ashley Furniture is launching a retail platform that will enable retail store associates use mobile devices to access available merchandise, customer data, and delivery information.     

QVC has appointed Bob Spieth as executive VP of QVC's customer and business services. He will oversee supply chain, customer service and experience, operations strategy, and corporate real estate and workplace services for both QVC and zulily businesses, with the exception of zulily's corporate facilities. Spieth joined zulily in 2013 as COO. Prior to zulily, he held several leadership roles with OHL, one of the world's largest third-party logistics companies