News

Black Friday still a big thing in Britain
Black Friday may not be what it used to be in the United States, but the tradition has caught on big time across the pond, according to a report by the New York Times.
Retail merchandising execs tapping into mobile holiday marketing
The number of retail chief marketing officers (CMOs) using mobile in their holiday marketing keeps growing.

According to the new BDO Retail Compass Survey of CMOs, 65% of 100 retail CMOs surveyed will tap into mobile, up from 49% in 2014 and the third straight year of growth. And of those using mobile, 34% will focus most heavily on delivering mobile coupons. Respondents plan to focus 12% of their marketing efforts on mobile technology.

Retailers with the best return policies—and the worst

When it comes to return policies, Nordstrom and Forever 21 couldn’t be further apart.

At least that’s according to an annual survey of return policies by GOBankingRates.com. The study rated Nordstrom as offering the best return policies of 2015, with Forever 21 offering the worst.

“Return policies should be a big consideration for holiday shoppers — two-thirds of people return at least one holiday gift,” said Elyssa Kirkham, lead reporter on the GOBankingRates study.
Study: Younger consumers phone the sale in

The stereotype of younger consumers spending all their time glued to smartphones may have some validity, at least when it comes to shopping.

New custom Interactive Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) analysis of Prosper Insight data shows that adults ages 18-34 are more likely to favor smartphones for retail activities than any other age group.
Report: Judge OKs sales of 47 Haggen stores

Haggen has received approval from a federal bankruptcy court to sell 47 stores. Included in the sale are 33 supermarkets to Albertsons LLC, which formerly owned the stores. Albertsons sold the stores to Haggen just less than 12 months ago.

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Target site overwhelmed by Cyber Monday traffic

For the second time this year, Target’s e-commerce site crashed due to exceptionally high levels of activity related to a major sales promotion.

The Target site went down the morning of Cyber Monday, Nov. 30. According to reports, the crash was actually a controlled restriction of the site by Target in response to extremely heavy volumes of visitors looking for holiday bargains.
Retailers: Find the Marketing Payoff in Your Data

In a field rich with potential customer data, retail marketers are feeling more data-wealthy than ever as data big and small seem to rule the world. Meanwhile, though, the promise of all this data has lured more than one retailer into a frustrating marketing technology maze that didn’t pay off as planned, sending them in too many directions for too long to cost-efficiently find the customer magic they were promised.
Online woes impact Neiman Marcus, others over Black Friday

Three leading retailers suffered varying degrees of difficulty with their e-commerce sites during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Study: Younger consumers phone it in

The stereotype of younger consumers spending all their time glued to smartphones may have some validity, at least when it comes to shopping.
Smart & Final expands California footprint with store purchase

It’s official: Smart & Final Stores is acquiring 32 Haggen stores in Central and Southern California.

Smart & Final has been approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court to purchase 32 store leases – four of which are supplemental to the chain’s previously announced stalking-horse bid –from affiliates of Haggen Holdings for a total cash purchase price of approximately $68 million. Smart & Final plans to convert the 32 stores to its Extra! Store format.