Sales & Marketing

SAN BRUNO, Calif.- It was a very busy Monday—Cyber Monday to be more specific— for Walmart. The discounter said  that Cyber Monday 2014 (Dec. 1) was the biggest online day in its history for orders. Customers viewed more than 1.5 billion pages on Walmart.com between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.

Just like many of the products sold in its stores, TJX Companies is offering a limited duration holiday helpline staffed by folks who presume to know the perfect gift for anonymous recipients.

T.J. Maxx and Marshalls this week said they are bringing back their “Holiday Gift Hotline” to combat the issue they identified in a survey of people buying uninventive gifts. The hotline is a free service only available for limited hours Dec. 4-7 and is designed to provide shoppers with a variety of gift ideas to help them give gifts people really want to receive.

New York – Cyber Monday lived up to the reputation of the gloomy start of the work week, with Internet traffic attributed to online consumer retail shopping activities decreasing 25 points from the prior day. According to the Verizon Retail Index, year-over-year, Cyber Monday’s results were down six points compared to Cyber Monday in 2013.

Hollywood, Fla. – Altpay, a startup mobile payment company that released its patent-pending technology in April 2014, has received a $1 million equity investment from two family office investors. Altpay markets its mobile payment service in the U.S. to regional and mid-market retailers, including supermarkets, grocers, pharmacies and convenience stores.

Mississauga, Canada -  Walmart Canada is adding 33 Grab and Go lockers in the greater Toronto area.  The lockers allow customers to buy online then pick up their items in stores.   The retailer installed its first set of lockers at 10 locations in the Toronto area in August. The announcement follows a series of initiatives Walmart Canada has launched in the past year to accelerate its e-commerce program.  

Cyber Monday, the day of the year that traditionally sees the highest volume of digital shopping transactions, falls this week. In honor of the occasion, I’d like to offer three tips on how to keep the spirit of Cyber Monday alive throughout the year.   Obviously retailers cannot afford to offer Cyber Monday-level online bargain prices all year long, but there are several non-monetary steps they can take.   Make It Personal

San Francisco - Compared to the 2012 and 2013 peak shopping seasons, paid search spending began to rise nine days prior to Thanksgiving in 2014, four days earlier than the years prior. According to data from predictive marketing technology provider Kenshoo, not only has the shopping season been extended in 2014, but retailers are investing more budget into their paid search campaigns this year than ever before. 

Improved e-commerce and marketing strategies are among the reasons Shoe Carnival President and CEO Cliff Sifford cited for the company’s increase in same store sales.