Omnichannel

Younger shoppers make up the demographic group most likely to visit physical stores Thanksgiving weekend, but retailers had better be ready to offer the digital natives an ominchannel experience, according to new research from a leading retail trade group.  

Armonk, N.Y. - Online sales were up 18.7% the weekend before Thanksgiving (Nov. 22-23) compared to the same two-day period in 2013. According to IBM Digital Benchmark analysis, mobile traffic accounted for 48.8% of all online traffic, an increase of 24.4% year-over-year.

In addition, mobile sales accounted for 26.6% of all online sales, an increase of 23.9% year-over-year.

New York - Forty-one percent of consumers plan to head to the stores on Black Friday,18% plan to shop in a physical store on Thanksgiving, and 32% of consumers will hit the stores on the following Saturday and/or Sunday, according to new data from the International Council of Shopping Centers. More than one-third (36%) of consumers plan to go to a physical store on Cyber Monday.

E-commerce firm BrandShop announced that Reuben Hendell has been named chief executive officer of the company. Hendell will also serve on BrandShop's board of directors.  

BrandShop provides digital commerce services for such brands as ArmorAll, Casio, Cuisinart, Hershey's, Nicorette, Ping, Samuel Adams and Waterpik.  

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Starting this month, social media users and others can send each other beers, cocktails and food items as gifts via a growing number of gift card options and features from Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar.  The chain has re-designed its gift card experience for both senders and receivers of gift cards that are redeemable at nearly 2,000 Applebee’s locations across the country.

New York - Foot Locker Inc. reported net income of $120 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, a 13% gain from $104 million in the year-ago period.  Higher pretax income aided Foot Locker’s profit growth.   Total sales increased 6.7% to $1.73 million, compared with $1.62 million in the year-ago period. Same-store sales rose 6.9%.  

Clothes aren’t the only thing big at Destination XL as evidenced by a double digit third quarter comp increase aided by omnichannel integration.  

Sales at Destination XL increased 5% to $93.6 million, compared with $88.7 million in the prior-year quarter. Same store sales increased 5.5%.  

Enhanced onmichannel capabilities were among the factors that incoming Foot Locker CEO Dick Johnson cited as contributing to the company’s increase in third quarter profits and same store sales.

Profits for the third quarter climbed to $120 million, or 82 cents per share, compared with profits of $104 million, or 70 cents per share, in the prior-year quarter. Third quarter same store sales increased 6.9% to $1.7 billion this year, compared with sales of $1.6 billion for the prior-year period.