News

Gap ramps up omnichannel initiatives in time for holidays
SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc. is looking to make shopping as easy and convenient this holiday season– regardless of whether shoppers prefer to shop online, in stores or on their mobile device. Plans include the launch of an online Wish List tool that allows shoppers to create a list of most-wanted items from across all five of the company’s brands: Gap, Banana Republic & Banana Republic Factory Store, Old Navy, Athleta and Piperlime.
Word of mouth drives 13% of consumer sales
Hollywood, Calif. - Online and offline consumer conversations and recommendations account for 13% of consumer sales, on average, which represents $6 trillion in annual consumer spending. In higher price-point categories, word of mouth's impact is almost 20% of sales, according to a new study from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

Nielsen – Private label perception among consumers mostly positive

New York, N.Y. - Perceptions about private label are overwhelmingly favorable. Almost three-quarters of global respondents (71%) say store-brand quality has improved over time, according to a new study by Nielsen.
Price is a primary driver of purchase intent among 70% of global respondents, but quality is important, too. Two-thirds (67%) believe private labels offer extremely good value for money.
Domino’s enters Kenya

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Domino’s Pizza is continuing its international growth by opening its first store in Kenya. Master Kenya franchise holder Om Nom Nom Ltd. opened a store in Nairobi Nov.8 and will open more stores in the city in the next few years.
"Establishing ourselves in Kenya provides an excellent opportunity for our brand to continue growing globally," said Ritch Allison, Domino's Pizza international president. "Domino's has terrific potential to offer an unmatched pizza experience to the people of Nairobi."
Mass and e-retailers battle to be top holiday shopping destination

DENVER — An estimated 28% of shoppers plan to do most of their shopping at mass retailers versus 26% who will opt to shop online retailers this holiday season, according to an ongoing shopper behaviour study conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research.

Holiday shoppers plan to cash in on a range of offers and value-add services this holiday season. Free shipping continues to be the most popular offer for holiday shoppers, with 58% of shoppers reporting they expect to take advantage of it this holiday season.
Toys ‘R Us provides Black Friday deals to loyalty members

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R Us is offering exclusive benefits, including early access to Black Friday deals, to members of its Rewards ‘R Us loyalty program. Members will receive a special offer granting them access to Black Friday deals on 100-plus items, both in-store and online, beginning Sunday, Nov. 23.
Guitar Center names tech exec as executive VP, marketing, merchandising and online

LOS ANGELES — Guitar Center has announced the appointment of Michael Amkreutz to the position of executive VP, marketing, merchandising and E-Commerce, for the Guitar Center brand. He joins the retailer from Systemax North American Technologies, where he most recently held the role of chief marketing officer.
Polaroid opens 3 Fotobar stores in L.A.

Boca Raton, Fla. – Polaroid is opening three locations of its Fotobar experiential retail concept in the Los Angeles area, with the first debuting Nov. 18 at Westfield Culver City. The 300-sq.-ft.micro-stores offer a cube shape and Polaroid Color Spectrum logo, and customers can take a seat at the Fotobar and transform their pictures instantly from their smartphone, Facebook or Instagram into three different size Polaroid pictures which can be collected in unique Polaroid shadowboxes or other picture accessories.
Mobiquity launches beacon partnership with Mobile Roadie

Garden City, N.Y. - Mobiquity Technologies Inc., which operates an indoor shopping-mall based beacon network with Simon Malls, is launching a partnership with mobile app/marketing platform provider Mobile Roadie. By integrating the Mobiquity Networks SDK with the Mobile Roadie platform, Mobile Roadie clients will have the ability to add beacon campaigns to their existing mobile marketing applications, and will be able to leverage Mobiquity Networks' public beacon network.
J.C. Penney awards Ellison 2 million shares

Plano, Texas – J.C. Penney Company Inc. has provided an equity inducement award of 2.07 million restricted stock units (RSUs) to Marvin Ellison, the company’s president and CEO-designee, in connection with his employment. Penney previously disclosed this award in connection with the announcement of Ellison`s appointment in October.
Dick’s beats Street with sliding Q3 profits

Pittsburgh, P.A. – Although weakening golf and hunting sales contributed to a small decline in net income at Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, the retailer still beat Wall Street profit expectations. Dick’s reported net income of $49.2 million, about a 2% drop from $50 million the same quarter a year earlier.
Net sales rose 9% to $1.53 billion from $1.4 billion, and same-store sales increased 1.1%. E-commerce penetration was 7.3% of total sales, compared to 6.5% in the third quarter of the previous year.
Wal-Mart fires India manager in bribery probe

New Delhi, India – The India unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has reportedly fired a mid-level manager as part of a probe into alleged bribery violations. According to the Economic Times, Wal-Mart gave the manager a termination notice last week, two years after the company suspended its former India CEO and legal team due to possible violations of U.S. anti-bribery laws.