News

Brad Fick, Direct Source   Mobile devices are playing an increasingly important role in the world of retail – and it's not just mobile shopping.  

I recently had the opportunity to visit the funky Las Vegas headquarters of online footwear/apparel/accessories retailer Zappos.com. Zappos is generally regarded as one of the most customer-friendly retailers around, and after seeing how things work behind the scenes I can attest this reputation is well deserved. Here are five cool ways Zappos uses corporate culture and innovation to disrupt the customer experience and behind-the-scenes operations.  

Walmart’s same store sales turned positive during the third quarter, ending a two year drought, prompting the company to forecast a U.S. comp increase of as much as 1% during the fourth quarter.

J.C. Penney is in the final phase of its turnaround and the company’s stores are customers’ preferred destination for great style, quality and value, according to company CEO Mike Ullman.

Those comments came after J.C. Penney said its third quarter same store sales were flat and it forecast a fourth quarter comp increase of 2% to 4%. Total sales in the quarter ended Nov. 1 declined slightly to $2.76 billion from $2.78 billion.

Gift card sales are expected to reach record levels again this holiday season and new research from the National Retail Federation (NRF) offers insight into the increased popularity of stored value products.

More than half of shoppers polled by NRF’s Gift Card Spending Survey said they will buy gift cards this holiday season because the cards allow the recipient to select their own gift. More than 25% of shoppers said gift cards are easier and faster to buy, and 3.8% said the cards help them stick to their holiday budgets.

When it comes to getting a great deal, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are big shopping days for consumers. But according to new research from Nielsen, men and women have different shopping behaviors on these two retail holidays.

Kohl’s is heading into the holidays with a loss of momentum after third quarter same store sales declined 1.8% and the company missed analysts’ earnings estimate by four cents.

The third quarter comp decrease of 1.8% was on top of a prior year decline of 1.6%. Total sales at the operator of 1,163 stores declined slightly to $4.37 billion from $4.44 billion. Net income declined to $142 million, or 70 cents a share, from $177 million, or 81 cents a share.

Sears is offering early access to Black Friday deals as a means to entice customers to join its free Shop Your Way membership-based loyalty program.

The retailer said its Shop Your Way members can begin Black Friday a week early at Sears.com when exclusive pricing on key items becomes available at 6 p.m. on Nov. 20. Then on Thanksgiving Day, Sears stores will open at 6 p.m. with more than 1,000 doorbuster deals continuing through 1 p.m. on Black Friday.

DHL Global Mail is rebranding itself as DHL eCommerce in response to projections of significant growth in e-commerce, especially in emerging markets, the company said.

DHL announced it is enhancing its services across the entire logistics chain to meet the rising demand for automated e-commerce solutions in such industry sectors as fashion, consumer electronics, media products and consumer pharmaceutical products. At the same time, DHL eCommerce will continue to provide customers with services for domestic and international B2C shipping.

Walmart EVP of merchandise operations Scott Huff is scheduled to address members of the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce at an upcoming event.