Omnichannel

San Jose, Calif. -- Nearly half (40%) of retailers will add a mobile version of their website in 2013, with 20% planning to create a mobile app, according to the "2012 ECommerce Trends Survey,” a survey of nearly 500 global retailers conducted by SLI Systems. Retailers’ biggest challenges in e-commerce continue to be improving conversions (63%) and attracting more customers to their websites (61%), the survey revealed.

Online sales are up 13% so far this holiday season and approaching a record $27 billion, according to the latest tally from the digital measurement firm comScore.

From November 1 through December 7, comScore puts total online spending at $26.8 billion, up 13% from $23.7 billion during the comparable period last year. Last week saw spending on December, 3, 4 and 5 each surpass $1 billion, according to the firm. That brings the number of billion spending days to seven. The highest volume day so far was Cyber Monday when sales hit nearly $1.5 billion.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot is making online shopping more convenient to holiday shoppers racing against the clock while trying to avoid steep shipping and handling fees.

Framingham, Mass. -- The omnichannel retail experience figures prominently in IDC Retail Insights’ Top 10 Predictions for the Retail Industry 2013. A hallmark of IDC’s offering for three decades, the annual report provides IDC's outlook on the IT market, across industries, in the coming year.

BOSTON — Wayfair.com, an online retailer of home goods and furnishings, has raised $36.3 million in new equity financing to fuel the growth of its private sale site for the home, Joss & Main.

Joss & Main has fared extremely well for Wayfair.com, having acquired nearly three million members and operating at a $100 million annual revenue run-rate. Investors include Battery Ventures, Great Hill Partners, HarbourVest Partners and Spark Capital.

By Derek Bonney, [email protected]

Technology has shifted everything, especially the retail experience. Not only has it changed how we locate, evaluate and purchase products or services, it has created a treasure trove of data for both retailers and marketers. So let’s examine something I call the “Retail Shift.”

A 4.1% third quarter same store sales decline and $105 million loss hasn’t diminished holiday spirits at Toys "R" Us.

The company reported the sales decline for the period ended October 27 late Friday and attributed a portion of the dip in same store sales to a less promotional stance and an earlier start to its layaway program. The layaway program was launched on September, seven weeks before the end of the third quarter, but sales related to items placed in layaway can not be recognized until customers pick up their orders.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot announced it is launching one-hour, in-store pickup for items purchased on its website. There is no shipping fee for the new pickup service.

“The holiday season is in full swing, and this is another way to enhance the shopping experience for Office Depot customers regardless of whether they choose to do so in-store or online,” said Mike Kirschner, SVP e-commerce for Office Depot. “We are proud to be the first office supply chain to offer this free one-hour pickup service for our customers.”