Omnichannel

San Diego – Contrary to popular wisdom that women desire a highly interactive shopping experience while men just want to be left alone, the two genders may actually have some similar retail preferences.

According to Interactions Marketing’s latest Retail Perceptions report, “Does Gender Influence Shopping Behavior?” men and women’s shopping behaviors have many similarities.

Irving, Texas - Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has always lived by the motto “Be Prepared,” and that spirit extends to its in-store retail activities.

The youth organization has selected Raymark's store management software suite for deployment in its 182 Scout Shops, 220 independent Council Shops, High Adventure Trading Posts and temporary Scout sales locations.

Los Angeles – It may be hard to believe, but many members of the ballyhooed millennial generation (defined by the U.S. Census as born between 1982 and 2000) are now moms. To reach millennial moms, new data released by beacon proximity platform inMarket suggests retailers should use beacon and proximity-based engagement platforms.

Newport Beach, Calif. -- X Team International announced that partner Strategic Retail Advisors has been selected as a broker for the 81,658 sq. ft. of development surrounding a premium outlet center made up of shops and pads fronting Avenida Vista Hermosa in San Clemente, California.

If ever a retailer’s product assortment cried out for an omnichannel approach it would be the fast-growing Batteries Plus Bulbs chain where customers are drawn by an offering of 50,000 unique items.

The chain of 650 stores, with 50 more units in the works this year, recently introduced a new Web site with the goal of tightly integrating its digital and expanding physical presence.

Charlotte, N.C. – Family-owned Belk Inc., which hired Goldman Sachs in April to explore “strategic alternatives,” may have landed on a high-end shopping list. According to Reuters, New York-based equity firm Sycamore Partners may be considering bidding $3 billion to $3.5 billion for Belk.

Belk operates about 300 stores and averages about $4 billion in annual sales. In the first quarter of fiscal 2015, Belk reported earnings of $21.8 million and sales of $958 million, both of which were year-over-year improvements.

Amazon.com’s latest gambit to encourage shoppers to buy a $99 Prime membership and goose second quarter sales involves the creation of quasi-holiday called “Prime Day.”

Chicago -- Marbles: The Brain Store is in an expansion mode.

The retailer has opened a new store in Washington D.C., at National Harbor, the waterfront shopping and entertainment district on the Potomac River. It is Marbles’ second location in the Washington, D.C., area and its third to open this summer, with new stores debuting in Times Square in New York City and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, marking its first location in the southern region.