News

eBay brings better offers to the surface
Online retail platform eBay wants to ensure consumers can quickly find the most relevant items at the best prices. eBay is unveiling several types of new browsing modules and approaches to surfacing goods that go beyond traditional keyword search results. The new modules take advantage of structured data that is now foundational on the eBay platform.
Starbucks’ Howard Schultz makes guest appearance — at Target HQ
Starbucks founder and CEO Howard Schultz recently touched down at Target Corp. headquarters in Minneapolis as part of Target’s series of “innovation speakers.” “With Starbucks, I dreamed of building a national brand and different kind of company, achieving balance between profit and conscience, bringing people along on the journey, and impacting the communities we serve,” Schultz said. “The kind of company my parents never got the chance to work for.

On-call scheduling comes under scrutiny in 8 more states

A controversial labor practice employed by some retailers is coming under increased scrutiny by U.S.regulators.
Study: And the top shopping site for teens is…

Amazon comes out on top — way on top — as the top shopping web site for teens.

That’s according to Piper Jaffray Companies’ 31st semi-annual “Taking Stock With Teens” research survey, which highlights spending trends and brand preferences amongst 6,500 U.S. teens across 46 U.S. states.
Pier 1 profit, sales down in Q4; looks to regain footing in 2016

Promotions, markdowns and supply chain issues took a toll on Pier in the fourth quarter as the retailer lower profits on declining sales. But the results were better than earlier projections and executives expressed confidence in the chain’s turnaround efforts.

Pier 1’s sales declined 1.4% to $542.3 million in the quarter ended Feb. 27; same store sales fell 0.6%. Net income was $18.7 million, down from $33.1 million in the year-ago period.
Accenture names former Oracle exec as head of retail

Jill Standish
Jill Standish has joined Accenture Consulting and been named senior managing director, retail. As the head of Accenture’s retail practice, Standish will focus on the business strategy and ongoing development and execution of retail industry strategy for clients. She will also manage the company’s retail industry client portfolio.
Accenture names former Oracle exec as head of retail

Jill Standish
Jill Standish has joined Accenture Consulting and been named senior managing director, retail. As the head of Accenture’s retail practice, Standish will focus on the business strategy and ongoing development and execution of retail industry strategy for clients. She will also manage the company’s retail industry client portfolio.
Pier 1 regains footing in 2016, eyes improved profits

Pier 1 shrank its store base and e-commerce penetration reached record levels during the company’s fourth quarter, a period in which profitability was marred by promotions, markdowns and supply chain issues.
Cheap gas doesn’t fuel sales in March

Even with fuel prices continuing to be low across the nation, U.S. retail sales were stagnant in March 2016.

According to advance data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, total seasonally adjusted retail and food services sales in the U.S. fell 0.3% to $446.9 billion compared to $448.2 billion in February 2016.

This continued shaky performance in 2016 that has included flat sales in February and a decline in January.
Tech Guest Viewpoint: Rethinking email in your store strategy

“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” That’s a famous quote from the comic strip “Pogo” by cartoonist Walt Kelly. Popular during the 1960s, Kelly was commenting on how humans are often the cause of their own woes in the world. To which I would add retailers could just as easily say, “We have met the enemy, and it is email.”