News

DHL expands its breadth to accommodate omnichannel retailers
DHL is helping high-volume retailers speed up “the last mile” of their omnichannel shopping experience. DHL eCommerce, a division of logistics company Deutsche Post DHL Group, is expanding the functionality of its fulfillment centers in Columbus, Ohio, and Riverside, California. Specifically, the logistics company is investing in storage and mechanization to support the growing needs of its U.S.-based e-commerce retail partners that ship between 300 and 15,000 orders per day. They will also manage both B2C and B2B transactions.
Home decor brand bolsters offering through predictive analytics
With increased competition in the home furnishings category heats up, Pier 1 Imports wants to feature better assortments and pricing decisions to attract and retain shoppers. The retailer is adopting a new predictive analytics solution from First Insight, which is designed to help it make quicker and more accurate design, buying and pricing decisions, as well as evaluate opportunities for new product launches.

Study: More than half of U.S. shoppers haven’t tried BOPIS

More omnichannel retailers offer buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS) services to shorten their delivery windows. Yet, 60% of shoppers have yet to take advantage of the service. That’s according to a new report, “Buy Online, Pick-up In-Store” from ChargeItSpot, which was based on responses from over 2,074 shoppers at 20 malls across the country.
Two states accounted for nearly 30% of grocery store openings last year

The Lone Star State and Golden State are ripe areas for grocery store expansion. In 2016, more than 440 grocery stores opened in the United States, adding 18.8 million sq. ft. of space. And 27% of those stores opened in two states: Texas and California. That’s according to JLL’s latest Grocery Tracker JLL’s latest Grocery explores four trends transforming the grocery shopping sector.
Visa lets customers pay — with sunglasses

The payment company hopes its newest wearables concept will have a bright future. Visa unveiled a prototype for payment-enabled sunglasses on Monday, March 13, simultaneously at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, and the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Pro surf competitions in Gold Coast, Australia, according to CNBC.
Home furnishings giant plugs in another fuel cell system

Ikea continues to grow its U.S. renewable energy portfolio, with a goal of being energy independent by 2020. The retailer has completed installation of its fifth biogas-powered fuel cell system in California – and in the country – at its East Palo Alto location in the San Francisco Bay area.
Party City buys franchise stores

Party City Holdco Inc. is increasing its corporate-owned store count. The company has entered into an agreement to acquire a master franchise group representing 18 franchise stores in North Carolina and South Carolina for a purchase price of $31 million. Prior to the acquisition, the company’s retail operations included 765 company-owned Party City stores and 164 franchise stores.
Discounter on hunt for new chief merchandiser

The chief merchandising officer of Dollar General Corp. is retiring. The retailer announced that James “Jim” W. Thorpe, executive VP and chief merchandising officer, will retire from Dollar General effective April 15, 2017. Dollar General said it has started a search for a successor and will consider both internal and external candidates for the job.
Report: Majority of shoppers feel they ‘know more’ than store associates

Brick-and-mortar retailers are fighting harder than ever to remain relevant among digitally driven shoppers. This is not an easy task as 83% of shoppers believe they're more knowledgeable than retail store associates — often due to the online research they conduct before entering a store, according to a new survey from Tulip Retail.
Dollar General beats Street; to open 1,000 stores and hike store managers pay

Dollar General on Thursday reported better-than-expected fourth quarter sales and earnings and said it planned to raise compensation and increase training for store managers. The discounter also said it plans to open approximately 1,000 stores and remodel or relocate 900 existing stores in fiscal 2017.
The Science Behind Successful Online Gifting & What To Avoid To Protect Your Brand

People love to give gifts.
Survey: Mobile wallet adoption has flatlined

Mobile wallet usage in the United States remains small, and shows no signs of increasing anytime soon. This was according to “PYMNTS/InfoScout Mobile Payment Adoption,” a new report from PYMNTS.com. The survey, which was conducted in March 2017 among more than 7,655 consumers, said less than one in 20 consumers who have one of the main mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Sam-sung Pay, and Android Pay) use it regularly.