Data & Analytics

Online shopping surged 26% on Black Friday to surpass $1 billion for the first time, according to the digital measurement firm comScore.

Protests by organized labor failed to materialize in a meaningful way at Walmart stores over the weekend and the retailer went on to achieve record results.

Retailers may as well start devising their 2013 Black Friday plans now based on the popularity of this year’s early openings on Thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving evening openings by the likes of Walmart, Toys ‘R’ Us, Target, Sears and Kmart were denounced in some quarters as being anti-family, but a few vocal critics didn’t speak for the majority of shoppers who turned out in droves and spent with gusto.

Silicon Valley startup Shopilly named Dickson Chu to its board of directors.

Shopilly was founded this year to streamline and organize multi-channel retailer communications across hundreds of brands and thousands of daily messages. The company described Chu as someone who has more than 25 years experience at the intersection of financial services, customer insights and the strategic use of technology.　 Most recently he was SVP of merchant solutions at LivingSocial where he was charged with creating a new business unit.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA — Office Depot, Apple, Barnes & Noble, eBay, Limited Brands, Nordstrom, Sears, Staples and Target were among a record 252 businesses on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2013 Corporate Equality Index.

The top retailers earned the top rating of 100% as well as the recognition of being among the “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.” A decade ago, in the HRC’s first index, only 13 businesses earned a 100% rating.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. — The LeapPad2 has received 20 awards from U.S. organizations that include Dr. Toy, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Parents' Choice Foundation and Time to Play, as well as key awards in the U.K. and Canada, according to LeapFrog Enterprises. It has been selected as a top toy by more children, parenting and industry experts and retailers than any other kid’s tablet, rendering it the most recognized kid's tablet of the year leading into the holiday season.

Any trickle-down of an improving economy hasn't trickled down to Fred's consumer base, Bruce Efird, Fred's CEO, told analysts Tuesday morning in discussing the discounter's third-quarter results. "During the third quarter we continue to see generally weak economic conditions throughout the Southeast which are clearly weighing heavily on our customers and influencing how they shop for their basic needs," he said. "It's more evident that things are not getting better for our core customers."

Best Buy on Tuesday continued its string of negative same store stores sales, posting a 4% decline at U.S. stores, and recorded a worse than expected profit.