Omnichannel

A new e-commerce startup is aiming to shift the paradigm in the world of online shopping with the release of a customizable deal dashboard.   Mytotefish.com offers a dashboard for users to organize their favorite stores (including coupons, sales and shipping deals) in one centralized location.   

Chicago – Consumer adoption of virtual reality (VR) technology is progressing slowly, but that doesn’t mean shoppers aren’t receptive to it. According to the 2015 Future of Retail Study from public relations firm Walker Sands, 30% of surveyed consumers said they would shop more online if they were able to try products on virtually.

About half (49%) of survey participants said they are willing to try the Oculus Rift VR headset when it is released in spring 2015, and 32% are interested in purchasing an Oculus Rift headset.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl's Corp. reported better-than-expected profit for its fourth-quarter profit, helped by strong holiday sales.
 
The retailer earned $369 million for the quarter ended Jan. 31, up from $334 million a year ago.

Total sales were up 3.9% to $6.34 billion from $6.1 billion in the year-ago period, also better than expected. Same-store sales increased 3.7%, a significant improvement after five straight quarters of decline.

Record digital and mobile sales propelled HSN Inc. to a better-than-expected 10% increase in sales in the fourth quarter.

The company reported profit of $68.3 million, or $1.28 a share, up from $61.6 million, or $1.14 a share, a year earlier.

Jacksonville, Fla. - Firehouse Subs, a fast-casual restaurant chain with more than 860 locations, is enacting a nationwide rollout of Apple Pay. Firehouse Subs now offers customers the option to make mobile payments from their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and soon Apple Watch.

Chico’s FAS Inc. has revealed plans to close more stores, cut jobs and decrease its capital spending to $100 million for fiscal 2015, a 29% decrease to its three-year average.

New York – Retail CEOs have a lot of worries on their minds. According to a new survey of CEOs from PwC, 74% of retail CEOs are nervous about shifting consumer spending patterns, and 59% are nervous about the disruptive potential of new distribution channels. Nearly half (47%) are nervous about the pace at which technology is evolving.

St. Petersburg, Fla. – HSN Inc. had a successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, beating Wall Street estimates for both net income and sales. Net income rose 11% to $68.3 million from $61.6 million, while net sales grew 10% to $1.12 billion from $1.1 billion.

Digital grew 12%, reaching a milestone of representing more than half HSN’s business. Mobile remains the company’s fastest-growing platform with growth of 40% in the quarter.