News

All manner of store operational processes will soon be under review at Target following the appointment of a new executive whose role is to simplify, optimize and make the retailer more agile.

There may not be a return of the annual “Running of the Brides” sales event, but a legendary discount retailer is back in business. Filene’s Basement has launched an e-commerce site that combines its traditional bargains with new omnichannel features.

Consumers are taking an increasingly varied path to purchase for tech accessories. According to the Second Annual Accessories at Retail study from the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA), almost two-thirds of U.S. consumers (62%) and more than three-quarters of millennials (77%) now go online via computer or mobile device to learn about tech accessories before making a purchase decision.

However, fewer U.S. consumers are making their final purchases online using a computer (30%) or mobile (7%).

Nine large U.S. companies on Wednesday committed themselves to achieving a major sustainability goal — and three of them are retailers.

Walmart, Starbucks and Nike are among the firms joining RE100, a global initiative led by The Climate Group to engage, support and showcase influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. Other firms joining the campaign include Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Salesforce, Steelcase, Voya Financial.

Former Save-A-Lot CFO Rob Anderson has joined PetSmart as CFO.

Anderson assumes his new role at the nation’s largest pet specialty retailer on Oct. 5 amid rumors that PetSmart and Petco are exploring a merger. Anderson is a veteran financial executive who most recently served as CFO of the $4.8 billion discount grocery chain Save-A-Lot.

For specialty men’s apparel retailer Knot Standard Inc., custom fit is everything.

The New York-based omnichannel retailer, with seven showroom stores in the U.S. and Dubai, as well as a global e-commerce business, tailors clothing to its customers’ dimensions. This customized approach also fits its IT strategy.

“We built all our systems from scratch using PhP [development language],” explained Matthew Mueller, CEO and co-founder of Knot Standard. “There is no off-the-shelf technology.”

Retailers always take a gamble when targeting promotions, and The Limited is doing its best to improve the odds. The specialty apparel retailer is using the First Insight InsightTargeting predictive analytics solution to determine which products and prices will appeal most among specific customer segments.

InsightTargeting combines data from First Insight's real-time consumer engagements with behavioral data from CRM and social media platforms.

Life just got a little easier for merchants who sell goods on Shopify. The cloud-based e-commerce platform is partnering with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) for direct, discounted shipping.

Retailers can now buy and print discounted shipping labels directly within the Shopify platform. Labels will be up to 60% off retail rates. In addition to saving money when purchasing shipping labels, merchants will now have the ability to either drop prepaid shipments off at USPS offices without having to wait in line, or they can schedule a free home pickup.

Executing merchandise optimization, or at least performing it so the end game is won, can be confusing and convoluted since “optimization” seeps into almost every retail activity. Are we talking assortments, space, price, promotion, categories, merchandise or some combination?

Terms are irrelevant. Results are not. Merchandise optimization must deliver and reverberate success among every store and online channels. It must drive shopper loyalty, and must be executed to maximize margins, beat competitors and draw in your shoppers.