Sales & Marketing

Wayfair Inc. has launched an in-house developed virtual reality app to help customers plan their outdoor patio area.    The retailer’s new Patio Playground application uses Facebook’s Oculus Rift platform, Developed by Wayfair Next, the company’s in-house research and development team, the app allows shoppers to immerse themselves in an inspirational landscape, where they can explore, rearrange, and discover furniture and décor from Wayfair’s catalog.  

Consumers expect to spend the same or less on holiday gifts this year.   That’s according to Berkeley Research Group, whose 2016 Holiday Retail Outlook report also identified five major challenges facing retailers as they head into the holiday season.  

Best Buy has opened a pop-up dedicated to smart technology products for the home in the rotunda of the nation’s largest mall.   

Omnichannel initiatives are crucial to J.C. Penney’s newly-unveiled plan to drive profit and accelerate growth.   In a presentation at its 2016 analyst meeting, Penney said it is seeking to boost its e-commerce and omnichannel experience, starting with a newly redesigned app that enables customers to locate items, apply coupons and access their JCPenney Rewards more easily.    

PetSmart is reaching out to help pets stranded by the Louisiana floods   The chain and its charitable nonprofit arm, PetSmart Charities, are coming to the aid of hundreds of animals left homeless by the Louisiana floods, which is being called the worst natural disaster to hit the United States since Hurricane Sandy.  

According to the United States Secret Service, there are $ 1 trillion bank notes in circulation. Of this, $2.5 billion is fake. In 2013, U.S. authorities recovered $89 million in counterfeit money. Unfortunately, this is not good news for businesses as these statistics affect them in a major way.