News

E-commerce in focus at DHL
DHL Global Mail is rebranding itself as DHL eCommerce in response to projections of significant growth in e-commerce, especially in emerging markets, the company said.

DHL announced it is enhancing its services across the entire logistics chain to meet the rising demand for automated e-commerce solutions in such industry sectors as fashion, consumer electronics, media products and consumer pharmaceutical products. At the same time, DHL eCommerce will continue to provide customers with services for domestic and international B2C shipping.
Kohl's profit slides 20% on weak same-store sales
Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. reported a 20% decline in 3Q profit, missing Wall Street estimates, as the retailer continues to be challenged by drops in store traffic and weak sales.

Black Friday behavior, according to the sexes

When it comes to getting a great deal, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are big shopping days for consumers. But according to new research from Nielsen, men and women have different shopping behaviors on these two retail holidays.
Friday Halloween spurred early holiday spending

Atlanta -- This year, a Halloween that fell on Friday helped boost spending growth in October, according to the monthly SpendTrend report from First Data Corp.
Walmart gives gift of positive comps

Walmart’s same store sales turned positive during the third quarter, ending a two year drought, prompting the company to forecast a U.S. comp increase of as much as 1% during the fourth quarter.
Newk’s Eatery launches online ordering

Jackson, Miss. –- Newk’s Eatery’s is launching a new online ordering platform. After the mid-November debut of Newk’s online ordering program, to be implemented nationwide by year’s end, online customers will be able to pick up orders at Newk’s “Grab N’ Go” takeout entrances.
Office Depot, OfficeMax expand Thanksgiving hours

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot and OfficeMax retail stores will be open from 6-9 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, and will re-open on Black Friday, Nov. 28, at 8 a.m. with doorbuster deals. Office Depot and OfficeMax will offer special deals both in stores and online, with all online Black Friday deals starting at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 27.
Dillard’s well-positioned for holidays

A third quarter same store sales decline of 1% at Dillard’s wasn’t enough to dissuade CEO William Dillard, II, from declaring the company is very well positioned for the holidays.

Total merchandise sales also declined 1% to $1.42 billion while net incomes increased to $55.2 million, or $1.30 a share, compared to $50.9 million, or $1.13 a share. The third quarter earnings per share benefited from a one time gain of $3.8 million, or nine cents a share, related to the sale of a store location.
Samsung releases beacon solution

Ridgefield, N.J. –- Samsung is taking direct aim at the burgeoning market for Apple’s iBeacon in-store marketing/messaging solution with its own new beacon-based tool called Proximity. Like iBeacon, Proximity uses Bluetooth Low Energy beacons to identify and track the location of shoppers in a store by their mobile devices and send them offers and promotions based both on their purchase history and location in the store.
Guest Commentary: Making Sense of the Move to Mobile

Brad Fick, Direct Source Mobile devices are playing an increasingly important role in the world of retail – and it's not just mobile shopping.