Omnichannel

The nation's largest specialty candy retailer may soon get even bigger.    BBX Capital Corp. has acquired It’Sugar for approximately $57 million. BBX said it plans to expand It'Sugar, which currently operates 95 locations in 26 states, by opening new retail stores in high-traffic leisure locations.   

BJ’s Wholesale Club just made a big move within its digital transformation plan.    The warehouse club operator introduced a mobile site that is integrate within its omnichannel strategy. In addition to using the site to browse, research and purchase items, members can also manage their memberships through their smart device.  

Walmart has found a way to make the digital shopping experience even faster.   The discounter launched a new service on Tuesday that streamlines how shoppers reorder merchandise via their desktop or Walmart app. Called Easy Reorder, the service integrates shoppers’ purchase histories —a list that is comprised of merchandise purchased both in-store and online. The service curates the customer’s most purchased items — including brands and sizes.   

Neiman Marcus is making moves to offset its debt and improve its capital structure.   The luxury department store’s first step was to eliminate 225 positions. Affected employees — which span all brands and operating divisions — will receive severance packages, and also be considered for other job openings within the company, according to the Dallas News.  

Eager to improve customer communication, a majority of retailers plan to increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) moving forward.   This was according to “How AI Technology Will Transform Customer Engagement,” a report from Linc and BrandGarage. The study polled 104 senior-level marketing and e-commerce executives from leading retail brands.  

eBay is making it easier for mobile shoppers to browse its massive product catalog.    The online merchant is adding two new solutions that rely on pictures instead of words to help customers search its online offering of 1.1 billion items. The tools, which are supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning, will help mobile shoppers pinpoint — and purchase — merchandise faster.   

Walmart is making big moves to ensure that it can serve Chinese shoppers efficiently during a crucial timeframe.    The discounter is further integrating its platform, supply chain and customer resources in China with partner JD.com — efforts that will prepare the companies to serve shoppers during the launch of the first JD-Walmart 8.8 omnichannel shopping festival on Aug. 8. The event will offer savings across all the different JD and Walmart channels, and reward customers for shopping multiple touchpoints. 

Consumers across the globe agree that volume of criminals trying to steal their credit and debit card data is increasing — and retailers aren’t equipped to fight back.   This was according to “Consumer Payment Card Data Security Perceptions, from Transaction Network Services (TNS). The study interviewed 1,037 U.S. adults, 1,002 Australian adults, and 1,010 U.K. adults between May 4-May 8.