Sales & Marketing

AccuStore, a leading provider of site intelligence for retailers and multi-site operators, has added former ShopperTrak president and CEO Jan Davis to the board of AccuStore’s parent company, GSP.

Austin, Texas - Approximately two in three credit cardholders typically use cash for purchases of less than five dollars. According to a new CreditCards.com report, a clear generational divide in the way Americans pay for small purchases means that might not be the case for much longer.

At a time of year when consumers are still caught up in end-of-summer barbecues and back-to-school shopping, retailers are getting caught up in the rush of holiday planning. Holiday sales can account for 20% to 40% of a retailer’s total annual sales, according to the National Retail Federation, and a successful holiday can turn around a bad year or make a good year even better.

Leading U.S. bookstore chain and online bookseller Books-A-Million has named James Phelps as VP of e-commerce.

“We are pleased to welcome James to Books-A-Million, and look forward to him bringing his expertise to our team as we continue to build our digital business,” said Cy Fenton, Books-A-Million’s CIO and president of Booksamillion.com.

New York -- Fashion powerhouse Zara, owned by Spain’s Inditex, used social media to apologize after complaints poured in via Twitter that the retailer was selling a piece of clothing that closely resembled a uniform worn in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The item in question, called the “Sheriff,” was a children’s blue-and-white striped top with a prominent six-pointed yellow star.

Furniture doesn’t leap to mind as a common holiday gift item. But by optimizing its customer experience for mobile devices and utilizing advanced personalization, Chattanooga, Tennessee-based online retailer Smart Furniture (which also runs a single flagship store) is making consumers think of the home for the holidays.

“Last year, we had the single biggest traffic pattern shift in company history,” said T.J. Gentle, president and CEO of Smart Furniture.

Newgistics, a leading provider of end-to-end e-commerce solutions for top retailers and brands, has added Andrea Weiss and Robert Rosenblatt to its board of directors.

The company said that it plans to leverage the duo’s first-hand knowledge of what retailers need to compete in an increasingly omnichannel environment.

Petaluma, Calif. – MarketLive is integrating Visa Checkout directly into its e-commerce platform. Visa Checkout is a new way to pay online, on any device, with a few clicks.

Integrating Visa Checkout into MarketLive’s e-commerce platform allows MarketLive’s retail customers to offer the service to a growing number of consumers who are shopping via smartphones and tablets.