News

New York -- Shrinkage levels average 1.27% of sales, which translates to a $57 billion loss to the industry, according to the U.S. Retail Fraud Survey, which is based on research into the systems and strategies used by 100 leading North American retailers.

By Kevin Smith, VP of onshore corporate services for ImpactWeather

According to Forrester Research, weather is the leading cause of business disruptions¹. From commodity demands and supply chain interruptions to community assistance, retailers know the power that severe weather has over their economic profits and losses.

By Corey Gale, Director of Marketing – Retail and E-commerce, North America, Micros

Plano, Texas – J.C. Penney has filed an appeal of a June 16 ruling by the New York State Supreme Court that it "tortuously" interfered with Macy’s 2006 contract with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia when Penney entered into its own contract with Martha Stewart in 2011. In the ruling, Justice Jeffrey K. Oing said Macy’s failed to prove that it is entitled to punitive damages.

Philadelphia – U.K. specialty maternity retailer Mothercare Plc has rejected two non-binding written merger proposals from Destination Maternity Corp. In a press release, Destination Maternity said its second proposal, delivered June 1 2014, would combine the two companies under a new U.K. holding company which would be listed in the U.S., for a total payment of $453 million to Mothercare shareholders.

Minneapolis – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating whether Target Corp. adequately protected its data and informed shareholders about the possible consequences relating to its fall 2013 data breach, according to Bloomberg. The report said that Target is one of several public companies that suffered a data breach which is being investigated by the SEC.

Toronto – Tim Hortons and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) are launching the new CIBC Tim Hortons Double Double Visa Card, leveraging a two-button technology that allows cardholders to press the CIBC Visa button on the front of the card to pay for their purchases anywhere Visa is accepted. One percent of each dollar spent is converted instantly into Tim Cash rewards, and by touching the Tim Card button, cardholders can then redeem their Tim Cash loyalty points at Tim Hortons locations.

Austin, Texas - Retailers have barely reached the halfway mark in their journey to omnichannel maturity. According to the results of a new report from Starmount and Retail Systems Research (RSR) that asked retailers to rate themselves on six dimensions of omnichannel maturity, the lowest overall rankings (an average score of 2.7 on a six-point scale) were in omnichannel order and fulfillment capabilities.

In addition, 67% of retailers were “inefficient” or worse at integrating in-store and digital experiences. Other findings include:

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com now offers free Club O loyalty program memberships to active police officers, full-time firefighters, paramedics and certified emergency medical technicians. Those who qualify for the program can enroll by visiting the first-responders sign-up section on Overstock.

First responders can have their identity verified through the ID.me digital authentication service and relayed to Overstock to receive their free Club O membership. Once individuals sign up, they enter a user name and password to receive benefits.

Denver - While on summer vacation, nearby location trumps brands for many types of consumer purchases, and mobile devices will be the dominant form of search. A new study conducted by location marketing automation provider Placeable shows that proximity is apparently so important that only 1% of vacationers consider reviews when looking to replace a forgotten item.