Omnichannel

Go offline, young man: That appears to be the mantra of e-commerce merchants these days.

As competition in the world of online retailing heats up — with Amazon's ever-burgeoning dominance posing the biggest threat — more pure-players are taking the brick-and-mortar plunge. It's a reminder, many experts say, of the strong appeal of the in-store experience — even when stacked up against the convenience of online shopping.

New York -- Target isn’t letting any grass grow under its feet when it comes to the suddenly hot category of home goods and home furnishings. The discounter has installed a giant, two-story dollhouse — some 21 ft. high and occupying some 1,500 sq. ft. of space — smack in the middle of Vanderbuilt Hall in New York City’s Grand Central Station. The temporary installation is designed to promote Target’s new Threshold brand and is completely furnished and accessorized with furniture, decor, and housewares from the collection.

Here are several pure-play online retailers that are venturing into the physical space — or thinking about making the leap:

• Rent the Runway, which rents high-end designer gowns, dresses and accessories to women for weddings and other special events, will use a recent infusion of $24.4 million in financing to build showrooms where shoppers can try on the frocks and consult with stylists. The popular online destination reportedly has Chicago next on its agenda.

The Glimcher Realty Trust pipeline is filled with open-air centers. "We're seeing a lot of opportunity in the market and even our own portfolio with open-air right now," said Michael P. Glimcher, chairman and CEO, Columbus, Ohio-based Glimcher.

Over the last three years, Glimcher has acquired five properties. Four were open-air. Today, open-air centers account for about 20% of the company's 29 properties.

Recently, Glimcher shared his insights about open-air and enclosed centers with Chain Store Age contributing writer Michael Fickes.

Social media giant Facebook is generating lots of buzz with the debut of its app launcher, Facebook Home, which turns existing Android smartphones into a Facebook-centric mobile device. (App launchers are applications that allow users to customize the home screen on their personal devices and add various other functionalities to it.)

Robotics and smartphone app power Amazon vet's retail start-up

A Seattle-based retail start-up with an in-store backend robotic system and a smartphone app that rivals the convenience of an online shopping cart is generating big buzz these days. Founded and headed up by Nadia Shouraboura, former head of supply chain and fulfillment technologies for Amazon.com, Hointer combines the best of online and brick-and-mortar retailing to take the hassle out of shopping.

Plano, Texas — Crossmark, a leading sales and marketing services company, has appointed Jim Rose as president of marketing services. 

The company sees the addition of Rose to its leadership team as a significant step toward bolstering its strong position and expertise in marketing services.

“We are excited to have Jim join our team to lead the further development and integration of marketing services that deliver value and growth for our clients,” said CEO Joe Crafton.

Mississauga, Ontario -- Target announced the soft opening dates for 24 locations in Western Canada, with 22 stores opening on May 7 and two  opening on May 14.

The openings, which include stores in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, follow the opening of 24 stores across Ontario. As previously announced, Target plans to open 124 stores across Canada throughout 2013.