Sales & Marketing

Food has always been an important part of the shopping experience at Ikea, and the retailer is doubling down on that strategy by unveiling a new menu.  

Ikea announced it will be adding more nutritious and sustainable food options to its restaurants, bistros near the checkout, Swedish food markets and co-worker restaurants. The new food strategy highlights how important food is to the chain.

New York -- Enrollment levels in consumer loyalty programs have reached an all-time according to the 2015 Bond Brand Loyalty Report. The fifth annual study shows consumers overwhelmingly agree that loyalty programs are worth the effort.

By Andy Wong, co-founder and VP of client services, Mobispoke

The rapid adoption of e-commerce in the digital age has fundamentally changed the way people shop. The online shopping experience today is not only richer and more engaging than in-store, but it is also personalized to each individual consumer, offering outfit pairings and special discounts based on a consumer’s profile.

A 38-year Kroger employee who started out in the company bagging groceries at a Cincinnati area store has been promoted to president.

Camp Hill, Pa. – Rite Aid Corp. beat Wall Street expectations with soaring profit in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. The retailer reported net income of $1.83 billion, exponentially larger than net income of $55.4 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

A favorable tax asset valuation drove the substantial profit growth. Revenues rose 4% to $6.8 billion from $6.6 billion, mostly due to a same-store sales increase of 4.5%.

Rite Aid said higher prescription sales and stronger cost control helped the drugstore chain report a profit surge for the fourth quarter.

Bed Bath & Beyond indicated in its fourth quarter earnings report that it may be joining Walmart and other retailers with plans to increase wages.

The company said it is lowering its 2015 earnings guidance due to "an increase in investments in compensation and benefits in 2015 beyond those historically planned."

Seattle – Amazon.com styles itself as a provider of everything its customers need, and that extends to software development. Amazon has selected Seta International as an official Amazon Software Solutions Provider.