Omnichannel

The core capabilities of the National Basketball Association (NBA) do not include fulfilling purchases made at its New York flagship store. According to Re/code, the NBA is partnering with online specialty athletic retailer Fanatics to provide tablet-based “endless aisle” fulfillment to its store via the Fanatics warehouse. [Re/code]

Alice Lane Home, a Salt Lake City-based interior design firm which is opening brick-and-mortar showrooms, is ensuring stores meet customer needs.

Alice Lane Home opened its first store in Farmington, Utah, in 2008 and a flagship location in Salt Lake City in 2014. The retailer is now deploying the RetailNext store analytics platform at stores in Salt Lake City and Orem, Utah, with an eye toward future brick-and-mortar growth.

Security technology specialist Tyco International plc is continuing to expand its focus on providing store analytics to retailers.

Tyco has reached a definitive agreement to acquire ShopperTrak, a global provider of retail consumer behavioral data and location-based analytics, for approximately $175 million in cash.

Based in Chicago, ShopperTrak provides customer traffic and related intelligence to more than 1,200 retailers in 97 countries.

National Fetch It Day is the name PetSmart has given an online promotion with an across the board discount to incentivizes shoppers to pick up their order in store.

Pure play home furnishings retailer Wayfair is citing one digital channel in particular as serving as a major growth driver.

According to Wayfair, 35% of all orders in third quarter 2015 were placed on mobile devices. In addition, a majority of traffic to Wayfair now occurs on phones and tablets. Phone traffic in particular has been sharply rising throughout 2015 as customers switch from PCs and even tablets.

Jet.com customers waiting for Christmas deliveries may want to start setting their sites on Boxing Day or other post-Christmas holiday events.

In a brief statement on its website, Jet.com acknowledged that it cannot guarantee that deliveries for any item not eligible for two-day shipping will arrive by Dec. 25. The statement cites nationwide shipping delays that have affected its delivery partners and thanks customers for their patronage during the retailer’s first holiday season.

Buy online, pick up in store capabilities are being rolled out to all of Kohl’s nearly 1,200 stores this spring after a successful 100 store pilot program during the holidays.

And that just the beginning of the digital initiative the company has planned.

The addition of pick up in store to Kohl’s omnichannel offering puts the retailer on equal footing with others in the industry who have recognized in store pick up has quickly become a basic expectation shoppers have of retailers who operate physical stores.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, especially during the season to be jolly, but I’m a realist. And though I wish happy holidays for all, I must tell mall retailers to steel themselves for another disappointing holiday season. Deloitte is expecting seasonal sales growth of 3.5% to 4% this year, ahead of inflation but below the 5.2% growth of last year — but don’t expect malls and department stores to see that growth. A disproportionate share of holiday sales will go to the humble discount stores, far away from the fancier shopping centers.