News

Kohl’s makes its move with wellness merchandising effort
Kohl’s is betting big on the notion that a new focus on health and wellness will increase sales.

The retailer is greatly expanding its assortment of active lifestyle and wellness offerings through brand launches, partnerships and unique social integrations that further the company’s commitment to active and well lifestyles promoted under the Make Your Move initiative launched earlier this year.
Conn’s Q4 profit plunges 44%; exploring sale of loan portfolio
The Woodlands, Texas -- Conn’s Inc. on Tuesday reported a bigger-than-expected 44% decrease in its fourth-quarter profit amid ongoing problems with its credit-financing business. The retailer said it is exploring a sale of all or a portion of its loan portfolio and will stop selling video game products, digital cameras and certain tablets. It also said it remains on track to open 15 to 18 stores this year.

For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 31, Conn’s reported a profit of $15.5 million, down from $27.7 million in the year-ago period.

Survey: Loyalty engagement reaches saturation

New York - Consumers are reaching a saturation point when it comes to their level of engagement in loyalty and rewards programs. According to a new survey commissioned by Bond Brand Loyalty, while the number of programs in which members are enrolled continues to grow, from about 10 programs per member on average in 2014 to more than 13 per member in 2015, the number of programs in which members are active is not experiencing a corresponding increase.
Study: Amazon Prime membership booms

London – The Amazon Prime paid shipping service appears to be in a membership boom. New Millward Brown Digital research suggests that the percentage of Amazon traffic from Amazon Prime members has increased 300% in the last year.

The increase in Amazon Prime membership means that an increasing amount of shoppers at other retailers are also Prime members. For example, during the most recent holiday season, almost one in 10 Walmart.com shoppers was an Amazon Prime members.
IBM adds weather insights to cloud offering

A new deal between IBM and The Weather Company promises to give retailers and suppliers access to a new range of insights to drive all manner of demand forecasting, merchandising and replenishment decision-making.
Amazon.com gets to STEM of learning with new e-store

Seattle – Amazon.com is addressing the need for more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education with the launch of a new online store focused on toys and games that help kids learn STEM subjects and ideas.

In addition to focusing on the core subjects, STEM also focuses on how they relate to each other and the real world.

According to Amazon, it selected the initial assortment of STEM toys because they “have clear goals and encourage kids to learn STEM skills while having fun.”
Virtual assistants help promote sweets in Belgian supermarkets

Bay Shore, N.Y. -- Confectionary giant Mondelēz International is deploying digital signage displays that resemble a store assistant to promote its new sweet treats in Carrefour, Cora and Makro stores across Belgium.

The Tensator Virtual Assistants displays, which have a 20- by 20-inch footprint, will stay in each location for two weeks before continuing on their retail tour. The displays use cutting edge technology to project the image of a real person that can deliver a variety of messages.
Amazon.com opens a STEM store

Amazon is leveraging a hot trend in toys and education with a new online store focused on what is known as STEM.

The shop will feature a variety of toys and games that are focused on encouraging kids to develop science (S), technology (T), engineering (E) and/or math-related (M) skills.
Study: U.S. has fastest e-commerce growth rate in North America and Europe

Austin, Texas -- The United States continues to lead e-commerce among the most Internet-friendly markets surveyed in North America and Europe, according to an international study commissioned by RetailMeNot.
Study: Costco, Amazon tops in customer loyalty

Costco, Amazon.com and Apple rank highest in customer loyalty, according to this year’s Net Promoter Consumer Study.

The study ranks more than 220 brands, such as Costco, Amazon.com, Apple and more across 22 U.S. industry sectors, including financial services, insurance, technology, online entertainment, retail stores, electronics, travel and hospitality, and telecommunications.