News

Report: Search dominated Thanksgiving weekend sales decisions
With many Thanksgiving weekend digital purchases stemming from searches, the convenience of mobility is helping to drive this uptick. That’s according to the “2016 Search Spend and Purchase Report,” from NetElixir. The study analyzing more than 11 million visits across four different verticals (food and gourmet, consumer electronics, apparel and gifting), starting on Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday.
Tech Bytes: Want to succeed this holiday season? Build up the ‘team’
Clearly, Cyber Week’s promotions helped to produce record-breaking sales — but discounts alone won’t drive success this holiday season. Let’s face it — even the best deals won’t matter if a retailer doesn’t have those highly-coveted Hatchimals or wireless Dr. Dre Beats in-stock and ready to be shipped in record-time. This battle will be won with a focused staff that is trained and ready to handle an onslaught of incoming orders; respond to customer questions and efficiently fulfill orders.

Ulta turns mobile app into ‘Glam Lab’

Selfies are taking on a new role when it comes to driving the guest experience at Ulta Beauty. With e-commerce sales jumping 59.1% for the third quarter — on top of 56.3% growth last year — the beauty retailer is pulling out all of the stops when it comes to evolving and upgrading the guest experience. Once of the company’s newest initiatives is its Glam Lab.
Manhattan jewelry flagship transports shoppers to Bali

Luxury jewelry brand John Hardy evokes its Balinese roots at its new, multi-sensory flagship in Manhattan’s SoHo.
Report: Online retailers continue to move to brick-and-mortar

There is one trend from the past couple of years shows no signs of stopping anytime soon: the movement of online-only retailers to the physical space. If anything, it’s gaining more momentum. According to JLL’s Screens to Stores report, even more online retailers will experiment with physical locations in the next five years.
Walmart tests convenience-store format with online grocery pickup service

Walmart has opened a 4,000-sq.-ft. format that offers pick-up of online grocery orders and a convenience store that also sells snacks, beverages and more. The 4,000-sq.-ft. location, in Thornton, Colorado, also has on-site gaso-line station, the Denver Business Journal reported.
Study: Chatbots rule customer service efforts

Automated interaction is increasingly preferred by digital shoppers — and demand is increasing. Specifically, 44% of shoppers said that if a company could get it right, they would prefer to use a chatbot or an automated assistant for customer service interaction — up four points from the 2015 survey. Half of them said that they would rather conduct all brand interaction via text/messaging, with 39% saying the digital-first methods are more effective than talking.
Walmart settles same-sex spouse benefits discrimination suit

Walmart has agreement to a settlement in a lawsuit that accused the retailer of discrimination against gay employees who were unable to get healthcare coverage for their same-sex spouses. Under the terms of the proposed agreement, the discounter will set aside $7.5 million to compensate the employees affected by the denial of spousal benefits from 2011 to 2014. (Walmart changed its policy to include same-sex spouses on Jan. 1, 2014, shortly after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage.)
Nation’s biggest mall hires its first black Santa

The Mall of America is making headlines for one of its seasonal hires.
Fast-growing home décor superstore names COO

With plans to expand to some 600 stores, At Home Group Inc. has appointed a chief operating officer and expanded its board with a Gap Inc. veteran. The retailer, which currently operates 123 stores, said it promoted chief stores officer Peter Corsa to COO. Corsa, who joined the company in 2013, will continue to be responsible for store operations, loss prevention, distribution and logistics in addition to assuming oversight of inventory planning and allocation.