Store Systems

Sears has unveiled Connected Solutions powered by Shop Your Way — experiential shops that bring together an assortment of smart, connected home and personal automation products.

The Woodlands, Texas – Conn’s Inc. exceeded Wall Street estimates with both its net income and net sales performance during the first quarter of fiscal 2014. In addition, the retailer said it plans to open 17-20 new stores while closing 10 existing stores during the full fiscal year.

BitPay has entered into a partnership with Hester Street Fair, an outdoor marketplace in New York, which will allow the fair’s vendors to accept bitcoin.

Hosted in New York’s Lower East Side, Hester Street Fair offers everything from handmade jewelry and rare vintage pieces, to wood fired pizza and ice cream sandwiches.

The following vendors will be accepting bitcoin:

Automated assortment targeting is one of the most important technology-aided merchandising strategies to develop in the past 10 years. Retailers can use advanced algorithmic and behavioral tracking solutions to instantly determine what items a customer is most likely to buy and present them in a way that maximizes conversion potential. Omnichannel devices like smartphones, tablets and kiosks allow retailers to effectively deliver personalized assortments within the confines of a physical store, as well as online.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears is testing “Connected Solutions” experiential shops that bring together smart, or connected, home and personal automation products. The 1,700-sq.-ft. shops are being piloted in three Sears locations in the Chicago area, including Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, Illinois; and Oakbrook Center, Oakbrook, Illinois.

Chicago - GimmeAnother, creators of a mobile application that allows consumers to re-order, has unveiled its Save to Mobile technology, a service that allows retailers to offer customers the ability to save products directly onto their mobile devices. Customers browsing a retailer website that has partnered with GimmeAnother can now click the Save to Mobile button next to an item to push that product to their personalized mobile cart on the GimmeAnother app for later re-ordering via smartphone.

The athletic performance-wear giant known for its commitment to innovation goes big in Manhattan, opening its newest and largest “brand house” location to date. With 10,000 sq. ft. of selling space, the store immerses customers in the Under Armour mystique and houses its most comprehensive assortment of men's, women's and children’s apparel, footwear and equipment in the country.

San Bernardino, California -- Plans are well underway to open two new state-of-the-art "Blue Ribbon" Stater Bros. Supermarkets in California, with one in Covina (Los Angeles County) and the other in Menifee (Riverside County).