News

Boston – The increasingly crowded digital payment field will soon have a new player. According to Bloomberg, the retailer-backed Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) is preparing to launch a trial of its CurrentC digital payment solution in stores.

Seattle – Amazon.com is always trying to improve its overseas operations, and now the e-commerce titan is “getting the picture” in the U.K. market. According to TechCrunch, Amazon has opened a 46,000-sq.-ft. photography studio in London.

Palo Alto, Calif. – Driving ROI from in-store promotions requires a deep understanding of consumer behaviors and needs.

In a new infographic, promotional technology and services provider Eversight offers nine behavioral insights to help retailers more effectively target consumers with their in-store promotional campaigns.

Click here for the infographic. 
 

Germantown, Tenn. - Trademark Property Co. has broken ground on the second phase of redevelopment at its Saddle Creek shopping center in Germantown, Tennessee, focusing on enhancements to the north side of the property. Combined with the initial phase, which is nearing completion, the redevelopment efforts will add approximately 25,000 sq. ft. of new retail space to the property.

Portland, Ore. – Specialty membership-based outdoor retailer The Clymb targets active consumers with an active, content-driven marketing strategy. The Clymb drives people to its e-commerce site with content such as photos of outdoor activities on social networks like Instagram.

Though it’s been months since the West Coast port disputes were in the headlines, retailers are still struggling to return inventory levels back to normal after the incident and an abnormally long, cold winter resulted in serious supply chain and inventory disruptions.

San Francisco - Gap Inc. is supporting front-end omnichannel retail operations with back-end seamless inventory capabilities. Using a “seamless inventory” model supported by technology from GT Nexus, Gap focuses on having the right products at the right time for the right channel.

Seattle – Everyone from mass merchandisers to dollar stores has been getting into the grocery business in recent years, and the vertical may soon have a new and very large participant.

Beijing, China - Tmall.com, an online shopping platform run by Alibaba Group, is launching same-day grocery delivery services to residents of Beijing. Beijing residents who order from Tmall’s supermarket before 11 a.m. will be eligible for the delivery service, called Tmall Supermarket.

Tmall is partnering with Cainiao, the logistics affiliate of Alibaba Group, to deliver the service, In the future, Tmall Supermarket and Cainiao plan to roll-out same-day delivery services to Shanghai and other Chinese cities.

Atlanta – The addition of income from Progressive Holdings LLC, as well as the elimination of expenses related to the April 2014 purchase of Progressive, propelled strong profit growth at Aaron’s Inc. The rent-to-own retailer reported net earnings of $40.5 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, almost five times the $8.5 million earnings reported the same quarter a year earlier.