News

San Jose, Calif. - Customer experience optimization is becoming an increasingly critical discipline as organizations enter a new era of marketing. Ninety-six percent of companies deem customer experience optimization as "important," with more than two in five companies (41%) claiming that this is now a "high priority" for their organization, according to the study.

New York -- Retail CFOs expect U.S. consumers’ feverish appetite for online buying to continue its strong upward trajectory in 2015. According to a recent BDO USA survey, nearly four out of five (78%) retail chief financial officers anticipate their online sales to grow. Overall, CFOs forecast an impressive 9.9% boost to e-commerce sales this year. This projected increase comes after the Commerce Department’s estimate of a record-breaking $304.9 billion in U.S. online sales in 2014.
 

Plano, Texas – Deb Berman, chief marketing officer of The J.C. Penney Co. Inc., has left the company. In a statement, J.C. Penney said Berman left of her own accord.

Berman came to Penney from Kraft Foods Group in August 2013, as part of CEO Mike Ullman’s attempt to rebuild the retailer’s management team.  She served at Kraft as VP of marketing and engagement and also had prior experience working at advertising agencies.
 

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. exceeded Wall Street expectations with profit in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. The specialty footwear retailer reported net income of $30.8 million, up 10% from $28.1 million the same quarter a year earlier.

Cost of sales grew at a slower pace than actual sales, helping boost profits. DSW plans to open 35 stores in fiscal 2015, including eight to 10 small format stores. Sales rose 12$ to $640 million, from $572 million.

Burlington, N.J. – Burlington Stores Inc. beat Wall Street expectations for earnings and sales in a strong fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. Reductions in store payroll and advertising helped drive a net income increase of 49% to $94.86 million, from $63.58 million.

Burlington Stores plans to open 25 net new stores in fiscal 2015.

Total revenue grew 10% to $1.5 billion from $1.34 billion. Same-store sales rose 6.7%

New York - EBay and Sotheby’s are jointly launching live auctions on EBay. Part of EBay’s new live auctions platform, the service is now available for browsing and advance bidding on Sotheby’s items leading up to the launch of Sotheby’s first live auctions on eBay on April 1.

EBay and Sotheby’s originally announced plans to partner on live auctions in July 2014, and have since worked together to deliver a virtual experience. Sotheby’s first live auctions on eBay will be a themed New York sale and a photographs sale.

A focus on efficiency and improved customer engagement helped True Value boost same store sales and report its strongest growth in 20 years.

The hardware co-op's total gross billings for fiscal 2014 were $2.015 billion, up 6% compared with the prior year, and the highest in two decades. Same store sales to retailers were up 5.2% on a gross billings basis. Destination True Value retail comps were up 4.8%, and overall same store sales were up 3.1%, the company reported.

PetSmart is hoping to lure more Martha Stewart fans to its stores with a new line of natural, Made-in-the-USA pet products.

The retailer already sells Martha Stewart pet products, but it is now launching the Martha Stewart Pets Treat Shop, a line of oven-baked natural dog treats sold only at PetSmart.

On the heels of a very successful fiscal year, Foot Locker executives have announced a string of new and expanded strategic initiatives.

Richard Johnson, president and CEO of Foot Locker Inc. and other members of the company's senior management team announced an updated set of growth initiatives, and a revised strategic framework, intended to further elevate its long-term financial performance for the period 2015 through 2020.

DSW Inc. says it plans to open as many as 35 new stores this year after reporting that its profits shot up 10% in the fourth quarter.

The specialty footwear retailer reported net income of $30.8 million, up 10% from $28.1 million the same quarter a year earlier. Cost of sales grew at a slower pace than actual sales, helping boost profits.