Sales & Marketing

For the second year in a row, Staples will close its stores on Thanksgiving.   Shoppers, however, will be able shop the office supplies giant’s e-commerce site.   

Creating an innovative customer experience is top of mind for Target. Now it needs the right solutions.   As a result, Target launched a new website that invites start-up companies to pitch ideas for new technology platforms that will help the big-box retailer enhance the customer experience in its stores and through its digital channels, according to an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Three groups have joined together to empower commercial building landlords and tenants to improve energy efficiency in leased space and reap up to $5 billion in annual energy savings.   The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) are launching a coordinated national effort, called the Landlord-Tenant Energy Partnership, to reduce energy use across billions of square feet of leased space.    

In line with Staples, more retailers are choosing to turkey over Thanksgiving Day sales.    Retailers across a variety of categories — from club stores and discount chains to department stores — are letting “their employees enjoy the holiday with their families instead of staffing the cash registers” on Thanksgiving, according to a story in the Sun Herald.  

E-commerce is on the rise in the grocery segement.    Online grocery sales are gaining momentum, reaching $48 billion in 12 months as of June 2016, according the “Future of E-commerce,” a report from Kantar Worldpanel. While the overall consumer packaged goods market remained flat, increasing just 1.6% over the 12-month period, online grocery sales are outpacing the market.  

Wolf & Badger, a strong supporter of emerging fashion brands, is dropping anchor in the United States.   Founded in February 2010 by brothers Henry and George Graham, the British retailer will open a 2,500-sq.-ft. flagship in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, in February. Although Wolf & Badger operates two stores in London, it is primarily an e-commerce player, with over 90% of its sales coming from online. But similar to many pure players, it feels a physical space is crucial to connecting with customers.  

With the holidays right around the corner, retailers are already setting up for the biggest shopping season of the year. This year, retail revenue for the holidays is expected to surpass $1 trillion, compared to last year’s total of $626.1 billion.   One of the many holiday preparations brands are making to deal with this influx is bulking up in-store resources. At least 700,000 short-term retail jobs are assumed to be added across the U.S. this holiday season, helping brands fill gaps in-stores and on the back-end.  

There is a new identity option for retailers eager to stand out in a competitive digital landscape.   The introduction of the 'dot-shopping' (.shopping) domain provides retailers with another way to brand themselves online. Launched by domain name provider Donuts Inc., the new digital names, also called "not-com" domains, can be used as a brand’s main e-commerce name. It can also point shoppers to a company’s existing online shopping web site, or a marketing or promotional site.