Omnichannel

RESTON, Va., and ATLANTA — A simple and convenient returns policy is an important factor in the decision to make a purchase online, a new study form comScore and UPS found. According to the Online Shopping Customer Experience Study, 63% of online shoppers look at a retailer’s return policy before making a purchase. Nearly half said they would shop more often and recommend a retailer with a lenient returns policy, indicating its value in driving customer loyalty.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — GameStop customers outside of the United States will soon have access to the PlayStation Network's downloadable content from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. This digital option will be available at more than 1,600 store locations in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Customers in those countries will have the ability to purchase DLC with any form of payment including trade credits, gift cards and cash.

Armonk, N.Y. -- An IBM "Institute of Business Value" study revealed that self checkout is the preferred way to shop for most consumers today, and more than half said they want to use a mobile device to scan while shopping, and to do final checkout at a self-checkout station. More than 40% want to scan samples and retrieve shopping items for pickup, or have the items delivered directly to their homes.

Toys“R”Us chairman and CEO Jerry Storch and Nordstrom Direct president Jamie Nordstrom are among the featured speakers at the Shop.org annual summit.

The annual event organized by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, will be held September 10 to 12 and the Colorado Convention Center and is billed as the premier gathering for retail e-commerce, digital and multichannel retailers.

Seattle -- Nordstrom and GQ, the popular men’s general interest magazine, announced a multimedia strategy designed to integrate GQ editorial into the Nordstrom online shopping experience.

Nordstrom will host an online store and will feature "GQ Selects," a selection of men's products handpicked from the pages of the magazine by the editors of GQ. Beginning with the July issue, the items will be designated in-book, compiled on GQ.com and available for purchase on NordstromMen.com.

Washington, D.C. -- Consumers are using Pinterest to engage with retailers more than Facebook or Twitter, according to a survey released Thursday by Shop.org, comScore and The Partnering Group.

Additionally, the “2012 Social and Mobile Commerce Study” discovered that one third of smartphone owners who shop online share their location with a retailer.

New York -- When Macy’s reported a 4.2% May same-store sales gain on Wednesday, ahead of the rest of the pack, analysts wondered whether that would set the tone for the rest of the department store players. It did — and it didn’t.

Boston -- Mobile and social marketing platform-provider Zmags said Thursday that The Container Store has selected Zmags Professional to create interactive digital catalogs designed deepen customer engagement across all channels.