Omnichannel

Pittsburgh – Retailers wondering which smartphone operating systems they should support with their mobile and omnichannel programs can reach more than half of all users with a single OS.

In the second quarter of 2015, 52% of all smartphone shoppers used iOS 8, according to the Branding Brand Mobile Commerce Index. iOS 8 also generated 56% of all smartphone revenue in second quarter 2015.

Shoes.com is laucnhing new efforts to make the shopping experience more convenient and accessible for customers on the go.

The company has launched a refreshed, mobile responsive OnlineShoes.com website and iOS app, designed to keep up with customer demand and enhance the mobile shopping experience for customers. The company will also release a mobile app for the Android platform that will debut later this summer.

When building and deploying mobile apps, retail and distribution firms have employed a variety of approaches, including custom app builds, cloud-based DIY app builder tools, and in some cases, building their own enterprise app stores. No matter what path is chosen, businesses involved in all aspects of retail are turning their attention to applications that can improve the productivity and efficiency of an increasingly mobile workforce.

Bentonville, Ark. – It’s no secret that a big part of Wal-Mart’s strategy is to maintain its market share in the face of competition from Amazon.com, and maybe even steal some away.

But Wal-Mart is now taking the fight for customers directly to Amazon in a big way with a new pricing and shipping promotion that directly challenges the upcoming July 15 Amazon “Prime Day” event.

Retailers are investing heavily in their supply chains in order to cope with surging e-commerce volumes, but customer experience enhancements must be planned carefully if profitability is to be maintained.

Fabletics, Kate Hudson’s athletic wear and accessories line, is taking the next step in the evolution of the brand.

The athleisure brand co-founded by the award-winning actress will open its first brick-and-mortar stores at five General Growth Properties (GGP) shopping centers this fall to build off the success of its e-commerce platform.

Launched in 2013, Fabletics offers premium fashion-forward activewear for women, and recently launched a versatile and high-performance athletic wear line for men, FL2.

Chicago -- The list of online retailers jumping into the offline space keeps getting longer. And this one has celebrity underpinnings.

When it comes to payments, times are changing. Fast. Retailers find themselves in an uncertain world: after a few rough years of data breaches, theft, and fraud, retailers are already feeling pretty beat up. But despite a resulting emphasis on data security and privacy, retailers find they have no room to pause while they secure their enterprises as tightly as they would like. Consumers are moving fast, and retailers must keep up.