News

Marketers sent a record volume of email during the holidays and although overall open rates declined, the record level of email marketing activity produced transactions and sales growth, according to Experian Marketing Services.

New York - The volume of emails sent by marketers increased nearly 13% during the 2013 holiday season compared with the 2012 holiday season, which also saw record highs in volume. Data from Experian Marketing Services shows that while email click-through rates and transaction metrics decreased year over year, the increase in email volume led to a 9% rise in the number of total transactions from email marketing campaigns and an 18.4% increase in overall revenue.

Campbell Soup Company is marking the 80th birthday of its iconic Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle soup.

Originally launched as Campbell’s Condensed “Noodle with Chicken” soup, it was the first soup of its kind and is still going strong after nearly a century. According to the company, Americans purchased more than 200 million cans of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup in 2013.

Seattle – The Starbucks mobile app reportedly stores customer passwords in a way that leaves them vulnerable to hackers. According to CNN, the app, which allows mobile payment, stores passwords in plain text, meaning a hacker could gain access to one without knowing a smartphone’s PIN code.

Best Buy’s defense of its market share proved costly during the holidays as greater-than-expected price cuts caused same-store sales to decline 0.9%, resulting in significant margin erosion and a vow to accelerate cost-cutting efforts in 2014.

Total sales for the nine-week period ended Jan. 4 declined slightly to $11.5 billion, with the domestic segment accounting for $9.75 billion of those sales. While domestic same store sales fell 0.9%, the company can take some comfort in the fact that its online comps increased 23.5%.

Camdenton, Mo. – The Cellular Connection, a 300-unit national operator of Verizon Wireless stores, has selected RetailNext to develop staffing models, help with store design by analyzing customer’s path to purchase, and monitor traffic and conversion rates to help gauge the success of advertising campaigns. This will include testing and optimizing store layouts and product placements for their interactive touch screens, device wall, KidZone, and smart accessories (e.g. headsets, speakers, etc.) in order to offer customers the best in-store experience.

Almost seven-in-10 consumers surveyed expect to make more money, save more money and afford things they need in 2014, according to RetailMeNot’s 2014 Shoppers Trend Forecast. 

ChannelAdvisor, a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions, has appointed Judith Barnett as VP of human resources. In this role, Barnett will oversee global human resources and will be charged with attracting, developing and retaining individuals for the company’s growing worldwide team.