News

Post-Election Analysis: What's Next for Labor?
With most of the business community absorbed in the quadrennial D.C. parlor game of parsing cabinet picks and what they might mean for their industry's agenda going forward, little attention has been paid to what lies ahead for the labor community.
Five Reasons Social Retailing Will Explode in 2017
For a long time, social wasn’t a closed-loop system; but with the shift of e-commerce to mobile-first, brands can now use the data and features of social media to create hyper-personalized connections that get users to buy. And as a result, retailers can better track in-channel purchases, as well as multi-touch attribution.

Rent-A-Center taps Walmart tech exec for new role

Rent-A-Center has appointed Lety Nettles to fill the newly created position of VP of digital integration. Most recently she served as a technology executive designing integration framework and change practices for Walmart.
Walmart unveils prize-linked savings program

Walmart has added to its financial service offerings with a new savings program. The program, called “Prize Savers,” is a prize-linked savings incentive program available to holders of Walmart MoneyCard, the chain’s branded reloadable pre-paid debit cards, the Associated Press reported.
First Look: Rent the Runway opens digitally-enhanced flagship
Now playing on Apple TV: Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is transitioning mobile commerce to the big screen — the television screen, that is. A new Apple TV application called “Amazon App: Browse, Search and Shop” enables Prime members to browse, search and buy products on Amazon’s site directly through Apple TV, Techcrunch.com reported.
CVS Health to close 70 stores

CVS Health has embarked on a three-step streamlining initiative with a goal of saving approximately $3 billion from 2017 to 2021. Two-thirds of the savings will be seen in CVS’s retail/long-term care segment, with the remaining one-third of savings seen in the pharmacy benefits manager category.
Report reveals digital best practices

Digital touchpoints are accelerating the pace of retail from all perspec-tives, including consumer demands. A new report from digital benchmarking firm L2 identifies "must-have" omnichannel features that retailers can deploy to meet rising consumer expectations. The study evaluates the approach and performance of 96 re-tail brands with regards to key omnichannel pre-requisites.
Pier I tops Street

Pier 1 Imports Inc. reported better-than-expected results for its third quarter amid strong online sales. The home decor retailer said it is still looking for a CEO to succeed Alex Smith, who steps down at year-end. It appointed company chairman Terry London to fill in as interim president and CEO, effective Jan. 1.
eBay unwraps holiday shopping habits

As the holiday shopping season enters the home stretch, it’s brand’s last chance to deliver the categories shoppers need to complete their gift purchases.