Omnichannel

Chicago — The overwhelming majority of retailers offer some kind of service for mobile shoppers, and one national retail pharmacy chain was named among those leading the way, according to a new study.

Digital marketing and e-commerce company Acquity Group released results of a report showing that 82% of retailers have a mobile-optimized site, 72% have a mobile or tablet app, and 66% have both. Most of them, 88%, use basic mobile capabilities like shopping carts, while 85% use featured products, 63% use customer reviews, and 54% use contact forms.

Claire’s Stores has opened its first two stores in China, giving the leading retailer of jewelry and accessories a worldwide presence in 39 countries with nearly 3,500 locations.

The company said it opened stores in the DaNing Life Hub and Grand Gateway Mall in Shanghai and indicated that China represents a significant market opportunity for the Claire's brand.　

West Chester, Pa. -- QVC announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, California Voices, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Oodle, a social commerce leader that runs the Oodle Marketplace application on Facebook. The acquisition is expected to close by Dec. 31.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Pitney Bowes is helping high-end leathergoods retailer Dooney & Bourke extend its reach in the global online market.

Dooney & Bourke will use Pitney Bowes’s e-commerce software and international shipping services to offer international buyers the ability to receive a guaranteed, fully-landed cost quote that includes importation fees during the online checkout process. Displaying fully-landed costs upfront helps ensure there are no surprises for buyers with additional fees at the time of delivery.

Chicago -- A report on Wednesday from ShopperTrak showed that retail foot traffic increased 3.7% and sales increased 2.3% year-over-year for the week beginning Nov. 25, ending Dec. 1.

This represented a 28.8% decline in traffic and 22.4% decline in sales from the 2012 Black Friday shopping week.  

Framingham, Mass. -- The impact of omnichannel retail on the supply chain, customer experience and merchandise optimization is one of IDC Retail Insights’ Top 10 Predictions for the Retail Industry in 2013.

IDC will reveal the complete list on Dec. 6 (for more information, http://bit.ly/RI_Predictions2013_Retail), but as a “preview,” the company predicts the following three trends will make an impact on the retail industry in the coming year:

Stamford, Conn. -- Pitney Bowes Inc. said that leathergoods retailer Dooney & Bourke will use technology and shipping services from Pitney Bowes to help expand the global online reach of its handbags and accessories.

Dooney & Bourke will use Pitney Bowes’s e-commerce software and international shipping services to help offer a seamless and convenient cross-border purchasing and shipping experience to online shoppers to destinations in up to 90 countries worldwide.
 

Chicago -- Social media is now essential to marketing in the retail industry, according to a recent BDO USA survey, which found that 86% of retail CMOs have included social media in their holiday marketing strategy. The executives said social media accounts for 10% of their holiday advertising and marketing budgets this year.