Omnichannel

While a new report from CBRE extols the traffic-building virtues of Pokemon GO for retail locations designated as “gyms” or “stops,” it concludes that virtual and augmented reality will have a more immediate impact on lease-signings than product purchases.   

Nordstrom is doubling down on its partnership with J.Crew Group’s Madewell brand.   The department store chain plans to expand the brand to an additional 20 stores this fall.  It’s the third distribution expansion since the initial launch of the partnership in March 2015, and will result in the retailer carrying Madewell goods in a total of 76 locations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as on Nordstrom.com.     

Status quo solutions are no longer effective or acceptable when it comes to fraud mitigation.   That’s the conclusion of Experian’s first annual global fraud report, Global Business Trends: Protecting Growth Ambitions Against Rising Fraud Threats, which is designed as a guide for senior executives and fraud prevention professionals.  

Online marketing is sparking radical changes — and growth — in shopper marketing.   That’s according to a new report from the ANA (Association of National Advertisers), conducted in partnership with market research firm GfK, which finds that  shopper marketing, long considered an in-store discipline, is evolving into an omnichannel approach designed to reach shoppers at all touchpoints.  

Five specialty retailers are deploying a cross-border shipping solution to make it easier for international customers to buy from their sites.   The retailers — Evolue, Kathy Kuo Home, The Land of Nod, The New York Times Store and Soludos — are expanding their online reach through the Pitney Bowes Borderfree solution. The technology and cross-border shipping services enable global shoppers to simply and conveniently buy items online in over 70 currencies from more than 220 countries and territories.  

Online retailers who hope to sell their goods to British consumers should take heed when it comes to listing the price.   A survey by online translation agency revealed that 80% of the British consumer public refuses to buy from websites that do not post their prices in British pounds.  

The largest specialty pet supplies retailer in North America is launching a digital initiative to become more customer-focused — and data-driven.    PetSmart has selected Cognizant’s customer data foundation initiative to utilize master and analytics-driven demographic, behavioral, interactional and transactional data to create custom profiles of pets and "pet parents" who visit PetSmart at its stores, online and through its mobile app.  

That sound of nervous pacing you hear every night at 3 a.m.? It’s America’s retail executives. They’re feeling the pressures of a rapidly evolving sales landscape and trying to figure out how to stay one step ahead — or just keep up.   From demanding consumers who expect a bargain at every turn to new technologies, from an aggressive e-commerce marketplace to a U.S. economy that refuses to kick into gear with any consistency, the challenges retailers are facing demand a shift in thinking and strategy.