Omnichannel

Staples wants to make back-to-school shopping virtually effortless.    The retailer announced a new beta test available on its mobile iOS app. Customers can now send a photo of their child’s back-to-school list via the Staples Easy System on the app and a Staples associate will populate the customer’s shopping cart with everything they need.      

Get ready for a very competitive holiday season.

Online brand enters brick-and-mortar space with style

Online menswear retailer Combatant Gentlemen has made the leap to brick-and-mortar with a sleek, streamlined space that speaks to its millennial audience.

It opened its first permanent retail store in July, at Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, Calif., having previously opened pop-up shops in New York City and Los Angeles, and a showroom at its headquarters in Irvine, Calif. At 2,220 sq.

Neiman Marcus is making it easier for customers to select their sunglasses.      The luxury department store retailer is launching a new technology, called the Sunglass Memory Mirror, in partnership with MemoMi and Luxottica Wholesale NA. The mirror, which is really a digital screen, allows sunglass shoppers to better engage with the product and create shareable shopping experiences.     

There’s no getting around it: It’s been a long, hot summer for the retail industry, one that many retailers will be happy to see end.

From the liquidation of The Sports Authority and Hancock Fabrics to the downsizing of Macy’s and Office Max (to name a few), the past few months have been full of angst as merchants struggle to find their way in a disrupted marketplace.

The good news is that many merchants are rising to the task. They are making the hard calls, however painful, and investments necessary to compete in today’s omnichannel world.

Chain Store Age recently sat down with Stefan Weitz, chief product and strategy officer of omnichannel commerce and service provider Radial (formerly eBay Enterprise), to discuss how retailers can offer a seamless experience and have a successful holiday.
    
What is the biggest challenge retailers face when trying to enable omnichannel?

In many cases, it’s thinking they can do omnichannel by themselves.

Amazon isn’t selling cars — at least not yet anyway — but it has launched a site where consumers can research and compare cars and read reviews.   Called Amazon Vehicles, the new site is designed as a research destination for customers shopping for vehicles, parts, and accessories   It includes detailed specifications, photos and reviews for an array of car models, both new and classic, ranging from Tesla Motors' 2014 Model S to the 1965 Ford Mustang.  

Ulta Beauty on Thursday posted another spectacular quarter amid surging sales. It was the ninth consecutive quarter that the beauty retailer topped expectations.    Ulta reported net income for the quarter, ended July 30, rose 21.3% to $90.0 million compared to $74.2 million in the year ago period.    Net sales increased 21.9% to $1.07 billion from $877.0 million in the year-ago quarter.