Omnichannel

Nordstrom beat the Street on earnings in its first quarter amid strong sales in its off-price division.     Nordstrom said it earned $63 million in the first quarter, compared with $46 million, in the year-ago period. The company earned an adjusted $0.43 a share, beating the $0.27 that analysts were expecting.   Total company net sales increased 2.7% to $3.3 billion. Same-store sales fell 0.8%, worse than expected.  Online sales accounted for 24% of total net sales.  

Canadian outwear brand Canada Goose is continuing its expansion, both offline and online.      The company will open two flagship stores this fall, in London and Chicago. It also plans to expand its e-commerce channel to seven new markets including Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria.   

Target Corp. is taking a cue from Hollywood to help shoppers create the living room of their dreams.   The discounter is using the same type of computer generated imagery that figures in movie blockbusters to create a 360-degree, virtual reality-like experience on its website. And it’s shoppable.   

Samsonite has selected a cloud-based solution to enhance its omnichan-nel operations and improve order visibility, flexibility, profitability and speed.   The luggage company will deploy the Aptos Enterprise Order Management solution. The tool will serve as a central commerce hub and manage all orders throughout their lifecycle, from initiation to fulfillment and delivery.   

Shoppers may notice digital ads, but they are not necessarily clicking on, or responding to, them.   That’s according to a new study by Valassis, “Motivating the Dynamic Shopper: Purchase Decisions In-Progress,” which analyzes how digital ads best engage and then motivate customers to take action. Three groups were studied; parents, millennials and Gen X.   

As digital commerce forces brick-and-mortar stores to innovate, industry experts share their views on the future of physical retail.

From department stores to discounters to home improvement chains, nearly all retailers are engaged in the same game: trying to imagine what stores of the future will look like in an increasingly digitized world.

Chain Store Age recently spoke with Goro Yumiba, chairman and CEO of SATO Global Solutions, and learned how retailers can leverage Internet of Things solutions, including RFID, to bolster in-store experiences.

How can embracing the power of data improve retailers’ business processes, growth and results?

In today’s fast paced dynamic business environment, successful retailers must be responsive to the market and make decisions promptly. Enter the power of data.

New store format emphasizes convenience

In its most ambitious store redesign to date, Target Corp. will debut its next-generation format in October, in a 124,000-sq.-ft. store in Richmond, Texas. The new prototype is designed for flexibility and convenience, and will offer open sight lines and elevated product presentations. It also comes with a variety of timesaving features, physical as well as digital.

In addition, 40 additional Target stores will receive elements of the redesign when they are updated, also in October. And there is more to come.