News

JCPenney, Bluemercury featured at retail summit
Some major retailers are participating in the 30th Retailing Summit conference hosted by The Texas A&M University’s Center for Retailing Studies at Mays Business School.
Tech Bytes: Three Business Reasons to Track Ethical Sourcing
Retailers invest in a variety of systems to track a wide range of supply chain and sourcing activities, but often overlook the need for technology to track ethical sourcing. Ethical sourcing refers to ensuring that products retailers sell do not involve exploitation or mistreatment of workers, unsafe facilities or production processes, stolen or counterfeit goods, or environmental hazards.

First look: Macy's Backstage store in Queens

Macy's is set to open its new format, Backstage, this week in Queens, and the retailer gave the Associated Press a sneak peak of the new effort and what's in store.
Perfumania reaches out to investors

Bellport, N.Y. – Perfumania wants to be sure investors hear about its growth potential. The specialty fragrance and beauty retailer has retained JCIR, a New York City-based investor relations firm, to expand its investor relations and financial community outreach program.
Amazon tinkering with Prime shipping?

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly doing some experimental tinkering with the two-day shipping guarantee for its paid Prime loyalty program.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is testing a program called “Ship by Region” that exempts some Prime items from free two-day shipping, depending on where they are shipped from.
America’s most trusted brands revealed

Some surprising differences are revealed in new research from Nielsen about which brands men and women trust the most.

Nielsen released a list of America’s Most Trusted Brands that shows distinct trust difference between men and woman. The ist stemmed from a consumer packaged goods focused wave of the 27th annual Harris Poll EquiTrend study showcasing the top 10 most-trusted brands.
Shopping Neiman Marcus as simple as taking photo

Neiman Marcus is expanding its 3-D app called Snap. Find. Shop. to include all categories within the store.
What retailers need to know about gift card exchanges

The holiday season is rapidly approaching. For years, gift cards have remained the most requested gifts in America but with the billions of dollars worth of gift cards that will be sold this holiday season, not all will be used. That’s because gifters aren’t always spot on with their purchases and if the card isn’t a match for the consumer it may go unused, a lose-lose for all parties involved.
Site Search Driving Omnichannel Sales

Online shopping is driving more sales and foot traffic in brick-and-mortar stores than ever before. In fact, Deloitte expects digital interactions will influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores by the end of 2015 – that’s $2.2 trillion worth of in-store sales that are aided by e-commerce.
Atlanta market to feature new Williams-Sonoma format

Williams-Sonoma is spicing up its store format.

The retailer’s new store in Ponce City Market, Atlanta, features a direct opening to a dining venture by celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman. The adjacent restaurant, due to open in the fall, is being outfitted by Williams-Sonoma. A glass wall strategically placed between the restaurant and Williams-Sonoma will offer shoppers an exclusive view into the dining room, and also give them inspiration while they shop. The floor plan is the first in Williams-Sonoma’s history with an independent business.