Omnichannel

DENVER — ShopAtHome.com, a coupon and cash back search engine used by more than 19 million consumers each month, has upgraded its tablet app to address the online shopping needs of a fast-growing number of tablet users.

The updated tablet app for iOS and Android provides a personalized shopping and savings experience based on a consumer's previous behavior.

Overall economic growth in Europe is slower than in the U.S., but the opposite is true when it comes to e-commerce sales, according to figures published by Internet Retailer.
 
U.S. e-commerce sales grew 15.9% to $225.54 billion in 2012 from $194.61 billion the prior year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce while the Centre for Retail Research in the U.K. said European e-commerce sales increased 16.6% to $302.2 billion from 260.4 billion.

Walnut Creek, Calif. – A new study from RSR Research concludes that retailers offering multiple selling channels connect more with consumers and are more profitable than retailers operating a single channel. Virtually every cross-channel selling tactic is being employed by retailers more this year than in 2012, with particularly strong growth in mobile.

By Niclas Qvist, Pricer

Evansville, Ind. -- Shoe Carnival said Thursday it has named Kent Zimmerman as VP e-commerce, effective June 3.

Zimmerman, who comes to the footwear retailer from global systems integration and solutions provider Optaros, is charged with overseeing Shoe Carvinal’s e-commerce and omni-channel strategies.

“We believe Shoe Carnival has a tremendous opportunity to grow our e-commerce and overall omni-channel presence in the family footwear industry,” said Cliff Sifford, president and CEO. “

The Container Store has turned to Usablenet, a mobile and multichannel technology provider, to upgrade its mobile Web site so the retailer can provide its customers with a seamless mobile shopping experience.

HSN may have been a pioneer in using TV as a shopping channel, but the retailer is using emerging technology to become a much broader enterprise. As HSN CEO Mindy Grossman detailed during a keynote session at last week’s Internet Retailer conference in Chicago, this is not your mother’s HSN. Not by a long shot.

“We’re engaging consumers away from TV,” said Grossman. “There is a dramatic transformation of the consumer. They are being reshaped by technology, social networks and mobility.”

LEXINGTON, Mass. — Stride Rite Children's Group's first-ever multichannel loyalty program, launched in Nov. 2012, has leapt beyond the million member milestone within six months.

The company estimates that 75% of specialty store and online transactions are associated with a rewards member.