Sales & Marketing

Regardless of the final outcome of its acquisition of Office Depot, Staples just nominated three individuals to its board of directors with unique perspectives on growth.

Curtis Feeny, managing director of Voyager Capital, Deb Henretta, former group president of global e-commerce at Procter & Gamble and John Lundgren, chairman and CEO of Stanley Black & Decker, have been nominated by the Staples board of directors for election at the company’s 2016 annual meeting.

Under Armour continued its winning ways in the first quarter, beating sales and earnings forecast as net revenue rose 30%. The brand has had 24 consecutive quarters — six years — of sales growth of more than 20%.

Sales rose to $1.05 billion for the quarter that ended March 31, up from $805 million in the first three months of last year. The company noted that footwear sales soared more than 60% to $264 million amid the popularity of NBA superstar Stephen Curry’s signature basketball shoe line and expanded running offerings.

Shindigz specializes in selling party supplies across mobile, desktop and mobile app channels, and is inviting digital commerce provider Mozu to make the festivities more manageable.

When it comes to shopping in stores, “digital natives” want the same technological conveniences they have come to expect online.

According to a new research report from Euclid Analytics, “Bringing Digital Engagement In-store,” 67% of millennial adults age 18-34 would be very or somewhat likely to use in-store WiFi for faster checkout via an exclusive VIP line. This compares to 60% of Gen Xers 35-54 and only 38% of baby boomers age 55 and older.

From hyperlocal social media intelligence to mobile survey creation, this month’s crop of startups is filling niche spaces that can have a big impact on a retailer’s business. Learn about an augmented reality platform that’s elevating the online experience, a social referral startup that makes it easy to spread rewarding word-of-mouth recommendations and an analytics company that helps retailers and CPG companies get the most out of their online and transaction-level customer data.

SurveyMe

Digital retailing is growing in popularity, but the brick-and-mortar channel remains dominant for at least one crucial consumer activity.

According to research firm Toluna, an equal percentage of consumers browse before purchasing online or via mobile (76%) as browse in-store (also 76%). However, when it comes time to make a purchase, 82% will do so in-store while only 65% purchase items online or via mobile.

The retail executives responsible for delivering omnichannel customer experience admit there is much work to be done to come in line with consumer expectations and demands.

Business technology and services provider Periscope, a McKinsey solution, conducted a survey of attendees at World Retail Congress 2016 held in Dubai in April 2016. According to the results, only 21% say they are more confident than a year ago on delivering omnichannel experiences. Another 45% say progress is not happening fast enough.

A major Manhattan subway station concourse that had been closed since 2009 has been transformed into a lively shopping and dining destination.

TurnStyle, an underground marketplace inside the Columbus Circle 59th Street subway, is now open to the public.

Financing for the project was provided by Goldman Sachs, through its Urban Investment Group.