News

Gilt adds Alipay as part of China effort
New York –- Online retailer Gilt has added the Alipay EPass payment option to its checkout, making it easier for consumers in China to shop using its e-commerce platform. The partnership provides a more seamless experience for Chinese Gilt members, allowing them to pay through their existing Alipay accounts directly on the Gilt website.
Study: More consumers use technology in restaurants

Elizabeth Arden swings to Q1 loss, plans Southeast Asia entry

New York -– Non-recurring items, including charges relating to stock issuance and tax valuation, helped swing Elizabeth Arden Inc. to a net loss of $25.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, compared to net income of $1.59 million in the same period a year earlier. Declining North American fragrance sales helped reduce net sales 21% to $270.38 million from $343.6 million.
Study: Online grocery sales to near $100 billion by 2019

Rockville, Md. -- Online grocery shopping sales will grow roughly fourfold from about $23 billion in 2014 (accounting for 3.5% of total online and offline grocery spending) to approach $100 billion by 2019 (capturing 12% of total grocery spending). Market research publisher Packaged Facts forecasts that online grocery service providers will develop models that solve logistics problems while being profitable for the operators.
Talbots selects APT analytics software

Hingham, Mass.-- Talbots Inc. will license APT’s software, including its Test & Learn and Market Basket Analyzer platforms, to test and analyze key business initiatives including promotions, merchandising, marketing and store operations. Talbots will use APT’s Test & Learn approach to identify which actions are most successful in improving performance and measure their impact on a test versus control basis.
U.K. convenience store One Stop extends Galleria merchandising rollout

Wolverhampton, U.K. –- U.K.-based convenience chain One Stop has been using Galleria’s Customer Centric Merchandising solution for planogram automation and optimization for a number of years, and is now implementing the Galleria Behavioral Cluster Planning tool. The new solution will provide a better understanding of consumers, assisting One Stop to understand how their categories are being shopped.
Report: Hackers hit mobile payment service CurrentC

New York –- CurrentC, a mobile payment service still in pilot mode from a group of retailers known as the Merchant Consumer Exchange (MCX), has reportedly been hit by hackers. According to CNN, MCX has sent a warning to participants in the CurrentC pilot that criminals obtained access to the email addresses of all consumers who have signed up for the service.
Report: Wal-Mart plans to close 30 Seiyu stores in Japan

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc plans to close about 30 underperforming Seiyu stores in Japan. Wal-Mart first invested in Seiyu in 2002 and took full control of the chain in 2008.
Kohl’s to open 6 p.m. Thanksgiving, offer omnichannel holiday services

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores will open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and remain open through midnight Friday, Nov. 28. The retailer will also offer a variety of omnichannel holiday services, including a daily “Today’s Deals” section on Kohls.com.
Report: Wal-Mart testing holiday price-matching

Bentonville, Ark. –- Wal-Mart is reportedly testing a price-matching program it may use for the upcoming holiday season. According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart is currently piloting price-matching with local competitors in brick-and-mortar stores but may expand the program nationally and include online competitors like Amazon.com.
EBay to offer Visa Qiwi Wallet in Russia

San Jose, Calif. –- EBay Inc. will offer Visa Qiwi Wallet as a payment option on EBay in Russia. Starting Nov. 5, all Russian EBay customers will be able to pay for their purchases with Visa Qiwi Wallet.
GNC beats Street with Q3 profit

Pittsburgh –- GNC Holdings Inc. reported a decrease in profit for the third quarter of fiscal 2014 but still beat Wall Street expectations. Net income totaled $64.3 million, down 13% from $73 million the same quarter a year earlier.