News

Toys 'R' Us is focused on 'flawless' as it goes into holiday home stretch
With the financial picture improving modestly at Toys “R” Us, CEO David Brandon said the company is ready to build on third quarter successes during the final days of the holiday season.
What it takes to win with mobile
Home Depot, Amazon.com and Safeway are tops when it comes to offering the best mobile commerce experience according to a new study that benchmarks 20 top U.S. retailers against one another.

Bigcommerce prepares new environment for new year

Online shopping platform Bigcommerce has some big plans for enhancing the capabilities it offers retailers.

Bigcommerce has signed a strategic partnership with design firm Pixel Union that includes plans to deliver a re-architected, modern storefront development framework in first quarter 2016. The new development framework offers features including a local development environment, the ability to develop with a live store catalogue, and rapid preview and editing capabilities.
Amazon pictures enhanced Prime competition with Google, Apple

It’s no secret Amazon.com counts Google and Apple as two of its biggest competitors for general online domination. According to Motley Fool, Amazon is expanding a specific benefit of its Prime paid loyalty service intended to both boost membership and stay current with Google and Apple’s consumer offerings. [Motley Fool]
Report: Private equity interest in retail remains high

Despite the mixed outlook for holiday sales, the private equity community remains interested in retail, believing that the sector can offer the opportunity to achieve scalable growth.
Amazon expects enhanced Prime competition with Google, Apple

It’s no secret Amazon.com counts Google and Apple as two of its biggest competitors for general online domination. So, according to Motley Fool, Amazon is expanding a specific benefit of its Prime paid loyalty service intended to both boost membership and stay current with Google and Apple’s consumer offerings.

Read more by clicking here.
Tech Bytes: Top Three Items on Shoppers’ Holiday Experience Wish Lists

We all know the stress of seasonal shopping can make the holidays anything but merry for consumers.

However, there are a few key customer experience features retailers can offer to help make this time of year bearable, if not downright happy, for beleaguered shoppers. The holiday customer experience should be:

App-centric
Study: What do consumers think about personalized marketing?

Before you declare your personalized marketing efforts a success, check with your customers.

That is the overriding message from a global study of 1,200 consumers and 200 marketing professionals conducted in October 2015 by Forrester Consulting for hybris. The study, “The Contextual Marketing Imperative,” finds that while 66% of marketers rate their efforts at personalization as “very good” or “excellent,” just 31% of consumers report companies are consistently delivering personalized, cross-channel experiences
How BI Can Help Shape Your Marketing Strategy

Digital marketing is a discipline that is rapidly evolving; that’s because the Web itself is changing faster than ever. We’re nearing the realization of Web 3.0 – The Semantic/Intelligent Web – thanks to the mountains of data pouring out of new devices, products, and social platforms every second of every day.

As a result, marketers need to understand how this deluge of data impacts content & community marketing strategies.
Report: Pep Boys accepts higher offer from Bridgestone

According to the Associated Press, the company announced on Friday that it will sell itself to Bridgestone for $863 million, a $28 million increase over the previous deal. The two companies announced they would merge in October for a price of $15 per share. Then, Carl Icahn stepped in last week, offering $15.50 per share. [Nashville Business Journal]