News

The Obama administration’s plan to revise federal overtime regulations would likely “hollow out” low- and mid-level management positions in the retail industry and result in a shift toward more hourly and part-time workers, according to a new National Retail Federation (NRF) report.

San Jose, Calif. – PayPal may have to fork over $25 million in a proposed settlement for allegedly deceiving consumers with the PayPal Credit service, formerly known as BillMeLater. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants PayPal to refund $15 million to consumers and pay an additional $10 million in fines for signing up consumers who did not want to participate, not honoring promotional offers, unfairly leading PayPal customers to use PayPal Credit, and charging consumers fees during periods of time disputes were improperly handled.

Washington, D.C. – Summertime is almost here, and consumers are planning to give the easy and convenient present of a gift card. More than 70% of shoppers will be giving gift cards this spring and summer during the assortment of gift-giving holidays that are approaching, including graduations, Father’s Day, and weddings.

New research from the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) also confirms that the gifts remain popular with recipients as well, with 95% of consumers hoping to receive gift cards this spring and summer season.

Digital ad spending in the U.S. will total $58.61 billion this year, and retailers’ ad outlays will comprise 22% of that figure, according to new figures from eMarketer.

San Francisco – Instacart is taking its talents to South Beach. Consumers in Miami can now use the online delivery service to order from Whole Foods Market, Costco, Winn-Dixie, BJ’S Wholesale Club and Petco stores and have everything delivered by Instacart in as little as one hour.

Instacart customers do not need a Costco or BJ’s membership to shop from those stores. Miami is the 16th city where Instacart is offering deliveries.

Seattle – Director Martin Scorcese is renowned for providing great soundtracks to his films, and Starbucks Coffee Co. is attempting to follow in his footsteps in its stores. Starbucks and music streaming service Spotify will establish a multi-year relationship that will link its 7,000 U.S. company-operated stores in the U.S. and My Starbucks Rewards loyalty members with Spotify’s global users.  

With a title like chief retail innovation officer, Kasey Lobaugh spends a lot of time peering into the future to assess where the retail industry is headed.

The principal with Deloitte Consulting did just that May 18 at Manhattan Associates annual Momentum conference where he elaborated on new research showing that digital interactions are expected to influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores by the end of 2015, or roughly $2.2 trillion.

By Jeff Collins