Omnichannel

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Black Friday shopping may be on the decline, according to a new study by CFI Group, a customer satisfaction technology and analytics firm. The company’s 2013 Holiday Retail Spending Report found fewer than 25% of consumers plan to spend more than half of their total holiday shopping budgets during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period. But 45% said they will begin before November, with 61% indicating they'll finish their shopping completely by early December

Kmart is kicking off the holiday shopping season with the launch of a new lease-to-own program in time for Black Friday.

Kmart said it would launch the program through Whynot Leasing and make it available nationwide starting on Nov. 22. Sears, also part of parent company Sears Holdings, also is launching the program, making it available for more than 95 million items via Sears Marketplace, including electronics, home goods, jewelry and tools, as well as major brands and boutique items.

Rochester, N.Y. -- Kodak Alaris today unveiled the Kodak Photo Service, which opens the company's worldwide installed base of Kodak picture kiosks and printers to content providers, creating new revenue streams for both them and retailers.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears and Kmart are offering members of the Shop Your Way loyalty program a variety of new services for the holidays. For example, Kmart's lease-to-own program through Whynot Leasing, LLC will be available nationwide starting Nov. 22, giving customers a no-credit-required way to take home products immediately.

Canton, Mass. -- Dunkin’ Donuts announced it is expanding to California's Central Valley and Central Coast, including Fresno, Bakersfield, Sacramento and Santa Barbara, Calif. The company is recruiting qualified multi-unit operators to open both traditional restaurants and a wide range of non-traditional venues, including colleges and universities, casinos, military bases, supermarkets, airports and travel centers. Over time, Dunkin' Donuts plans to have as many as 1,000 restaurants throughout the state.

Famous Footwear has unveiled a free app for iPhone and Android that offers shoppers instant access to savings they can earn through Famous Footwear’s rewards program, as well as exclusive mobile discounts and offers. The app allows users to plan, shop and track their purchases, and redeem their rewards points from their mobile device.

Atlanta -- VeriFone Systems announced that Holiday Oil of West Valley, Utah, has completed a chain wide rollout of its in-store marketing solution, LiftRetail.

The solution uses POS-connected digital screens to engage each shopper with relevant offers and coupons. Additionally, it analyzes each item in a shopper’s basket in real-time to make the right offer to the right shopper at the right time. The result is a proven increase in sales, delighted shoppers, and empowered cashiers.
 

Chicago -- Consumers value the retail store experience on multiple levels and continue to make the vast majority of their purchases in stores, according to a new study from global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney. The report found that the physical store is the channel of choice across all ages (from Millennial to senior citizens) and household income levels (from less than $25,000 per year to more than $100,000 per year).