News

Consumers are changing the way they browse and shop for goods using mobile devices.

According to the State of Retailing Online 2016 study from Forrester Research, Shop.org and Bizrate Insights, growing use of smartphones by consumers, a shift in investments by technology companies and continued optimization strategies from retailers has landed smartphones on top as a driver of mobile sales and traffic for retail companies.

Photos: Sam Dushey before his appearance on “Undercover Boss,” (photo, left) and after he underwent his undercover transformation (photo, right). Via CBS.com

Less than 12 hours after Macy’s shared bleak holiday results, J.C. Penney said enhanced digital capabilities helped it to produce strong holiday season same store sales growth which allowed the company to reaffirm its full year profit forecast.

Appliance manufacturer Whirlpool is launching a new partnership with IBM that is likely a sign of how the consumer product market will substantially change in the next few years.

Whirlpool is now combining connected home appliances with IBM Watson services, including cognitive analytics, to provide more personalized services to consumers.

Whole Foods had a difficult 2015 that included falling sales and stock value, as well as a pricing scandal. However, as Marketplace Business reports, Whole Foods is looking to regain its footing in 2016 with help from a redesigned, IT-centric customer experience. [Marketplace Business]

Walgreens Boots Alliance on Thursday reported net sales of $29 billion, representing an increase of 48.5%, for the first quarter 2016 that ended Nov. 30, 2015. The significant growth was attributed to the inclusion of Alliance Boots consolidated results, the company reported.

Consumers are changing the way they browse and shop for goods using mobile devices.

According to the State of Retailing Online 2016 study from Forrester Research, Shop.org and Bizrate Insights, growing use of smartphones by consumers, a shift in investments by technology companies and continued optimization strategies from retailers has landed smartphones on top as a driver of mobile sales and traffic for retail companies.

Walgreens Boots Alliance on Thursday reported net sales of $29 billion, representing an increase of 48.5%, for the first quarter 2016 that ended Nov. 30, 2015. The significant growth was attributed to the inclusion of Alliance Boots consolidated results, the company reported.

Wall Street had expected $29.2 billion in overall revenue, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.