Sales & Marketing

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has a vast and complicated corporate infrastructure, but that doesn’t stop the world’s largest retailer from pursuing fast, fact-based decisions based on technology innovation. During a keynote address at the SAP SAPPHIRE conference in Orlando, Florida, Wal-Mart CIO Karenann Terrell described Wal-Mart’s approach to decisions and data.

Whole Foods Market set another sales record in the second quarter – but that’s not enough for the grocery chain, which announced it is launching a new store concept targeted to the Millennial shopper.

Armonk, N.Y. -- IBM and Facebook on Wednesday announced they are teaming up to help retailers and other brands provide more personalization in their marketing efforts on the social network.

The two companies said they are now working together to integrate Facebook’s existing ad technologies, such as Custom Audiences, into IBM’s array of tools and services for retailers.

DSW Inc. has been on a win streak lately, with growing profits and store counts. Now the retailer has notched another win, this time for its excellence in omnichannel retailing.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation is  NRF is hosting a night of shopping in the nation’s capital to honor retail’s entrepreneurial spirit.

The National Retail Federation’s “Retail’s Night Out” will be a celebration of Small Business Week with local merchants and national brands set up in one-night-only pop-up shops in Washington, D.C., on May 6. The event will also feature live music, local food trucks and a red carpet.

New York -- Borderfree, a provider of cross-border e-commerce services, announced that it signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Pitney Bowes Inc. for $14 per share in cash, or approximately $395 million. The acquisition comes as Pitney Bowes looks to expand more into software and digital-commerce services.

The fashions and style of the American West are apparently resonating with shoppers of the Sundance Catalog, as the company is gearing up for big retail expansion.

Seattle -- Online retailer Zulily has launched of its first major website redesign, which will provide a more customized daily shopping experience for each of its customers.

"We are changing the way people shop by allowing customers to easily discover unique and special products every day," said Darrell Cavens, CEO of Zulily. "The site redesign is the first of several initiatives for the year that will allow us to continue to surprise and delight our customer each and every day."