Omnichannel

Wayne, N.J. – Babies “R” Us launched the Very Important Baby (V.I.B.) program, designed to allow parents an opportunity to earn a 10% bonus savings on baby essentials.

The complimentary V.I.B. card is much like a debit card and can be used toward purchases of any brand of diapers, wipes, formula and baby food at “R” Us stores nationwide. Every time money is loaded onto the card, Babies “R” Us will add 10% – up to $200 annually. 

News this week that Walmart acquired a majority stake in one of China’s fastest growing e-commerce companies positions Walmart to become a dominant multichannel player in China far faster than it ever would have on its own.

A shopping center owner and manager is on the cutting edge of mobile marketing. DDR Corp., which owns and manages 538 value-oriented shopping centers in the United States, Puerto Rico and Brazil, is testing a service in select properties that combines physical retail assets with location-based mobile marketing.

There has been lots of buzz and comment over Wal-Mart Stores’ fourth quarter fiscal results. While the chain’s U.S. sales are rebounding, its quarterly profit and sales fell short of Wall Street expectations and its forecasts suggest that results in this quarter and fiscal year may again disappoint analysts.

Here are some interesting comments from Natalie Berg, global research director, Planet Retail, on the chain’s results:

DALLAS — Zale Corp. reported increased revenues and earnings for its second quarter ended Jan. 31, thanks to a successful holiday season.

The company reported that revenues for the quarter were $664 million, an increase of $37 million, or 6%, compared with $626 million in the same period last year. 

Comparable-store sales, which are based on year-over-year merchandise sales, increased 5.8% during the quarter. This increase follows a 7.9% rise in the same period last year. 

Retailers should expect online purchases to become a bigger piece of retail sales, particularly in the key fourth-quarter period, where they could soon represent as much as 20% of holiday sales, according to Sucharita Mulpuru, VP and principal analyst, Forrester Research, and a leading expert on e-commerce and trends in the online shopping space.

“The pie for bricks-and-mortar retail is shrinking,” Mulpuru said during a presentation at the National Retail Federation’s 101st Annual Convention & EXPO in New York City.

Vacated shells of circa-1985 outlet shopping centers still dot the nation’s highways, but that’s not the format version that is finding a foothold among consumers and retailers.

A new value-oriented center, anchored by top-tier designer names, has opened the eyes and pocketbooks of American shoppers. Mainstream amenities have created the expectation that, while the goods may be discounted, the experience most definitely isn’t.

By HeeSun Kim and Young Rok Park

Imagine a place where department stores are destinations for retail and social activity, where the mere mention of the term “department store” still conjures fond memories of day-long family outings in the city. Fifty years ago, this could have been any major city in the United States, but the current epicenter of the design revolution in large-format retail, culture and fashion is on the opposite side of the planet, specifically in Seoul, South Korea.