Sales & Marketing

Salisbury, N.C. -- Grocery chain Bloom said Tuesday it has introduced a free iPhone application that will allow its customers to access weekly specials, search recipes, manage shopping lists and find their nearest Bloom.

"At Bloom, we look for opportunities to leverage technology to enhance our guests shopping experience," said Tammy DeBoer, VP of Bloom. "This new mobile application, from Mercatus, is user-friendly and makes it easy for our shoppers to connect with us and plan family meals."

San Francisco -- Survey results released Tuesday by online customer experience management firm Tealeaf and conducted by Econsultancy showed that nearly 23% of online revenue is lost annually by U.S. companies due to poor online customer experiences.

Janney Montgomery Scott analyst David Strasser downgraded shares of Target to neutral from buy on Monday. In doing so he cited some familiar concerns about the challenging competitive environment, rising input costs and anticipated difficulties passing through price increases to cash-strapped shoppers thereby negatively affecting gross margins.

Italian luxury brand Missoni hits target stores this fall (Sept. 13 to Oct. 22) and like a lot of the edgier designer exclusives the retailer brings into its stores you have to wonder about the degree of brand awareness among the Target faithful. Missoni certainly sounds like it could be an Italian luxury brand, but then the same thing could be said of Mossimo, Merona or any brand that ends in a vowel.

New York City -- Macy’s announced the launch of international shipping on its e-commerce site to 91 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America. The department store retailer is partnering with FiftyOne, a provider of international e-commerce services and infrastructure to U.S. retailers.

NEW YORK — Macy's announced that it will offer international shipping on its e-commerce site, Macys.com, to 91 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America. 

FiftyOne, a provider of international e-commerce services and infrastructure to U.S. retailers, has partnered with Macy's to implement the shipping process.

New York City -- Limelight Marketplace, an indoor mall in Manhattan, is getting a major facelift. The shopping venue will re-launch in September as a three-story department store called Limelight. Renovation costs will total almost $4 million.

"We want to display Limelight as a 'fashion-forward' venue with sophisticated and modish aesthetics," said developer and owner Jack Menashe. "The restored architecture makes Limelight the distinctive spot that it is -- allowing for an exciting shopping experience.”

Urban street wear retailer Dr. Jay’s has updated its flagship store in Manhattan, with a fresh, bold look that invigorates the popular brand while enhancing the customer experience.