Omnichannel

So the news is out that Facebook is testing a new “buy” button designed to help businesses drive sales in News Feed and on Pages. This feature will let consumers click the “Buy” button on ads and page posts to purchase a product directly from a business, without leaving Facebook.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), owner and developer of Westchester’s Ridge Hill, will host DreamPlace, an interactive Santa adventure. DreamWorks Animation has chosen Westchester’s Ridge Hill as one of just seven locations around the country, and the only one in the Northeast during the 2014 holiday season.

Charlottesville, Va. - Smartphones generated 19% of paid search clicks and 9% of search spend in second quarter 2014, while tablets produced 18% of clicks and 19% of spend. According to the Q2 Digital Marketing Report from RKG, which surveyed retailers in its client base, cross-device tracking surfaces 7% more orders overall, but 14% more smartphone orders.

While smartphones produce 12% of traditionally tracked conversions, they contribute nearly 25% of cross-device orders.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Merchant Advisory Group, National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), National Grocers Association, and National Restaurant Association (NRA) are jointly calling for an open and universal tokenization standard in the U.S. payments system.

Grand Rapids. Mich. – Meijer is reportedly focusing on making its apparel, footwear and accessories assortment more appealing to fashion-conscious customers. According to the Detroit News, Meijer is taking steps including redesigning its stores, hiring outside consultants and launching a multimedia marketing campaign to improve the appeal of apparel and related categories.

Dallas - Society Bakery is using the mobile Cartwheel Register checkout app from Tantrum Street to conduct transactions via smartphones and tablets. The app includes a back-end system offering reports such as costs, sales information, and item management, available both immediately via phone and emailed daily.

Society Bakery has improved ordering, checkout and reporting functions since rolling out Checkout Register.

Cleveland -- Shopping ranks as a favorite activity among nearly half of all teens and young adults aged 13 to 24. According to a new survey of more than 1,000 teens and young adults ranging from ages 13 to 24 conducted by Alexander Babbage in partnership with Forest City Enterprises Inc., shopping at malls ranked above a virtual shopping experience among the entire group, with the 13-to-17-year-old age group showing the strongest preference for a bricks-and-mortar shopping experience.  

Seattle – Amazon.com reported a second quarter net loss of $126 million, compared to a net loss of $7 million in the same period last year, as it continues to spend heavily on investments. The loss was nearly double what Wall Street higher expected. Operating expenses rose 24% to $19.36 billion.

Net sales increased 23% to $19.34 billion in the second quarter, compared with $15.70 billion in second quarter 2013. Net sales met Wall Street expectations. A favorable change in foreign exchange rates boosted revenues.