News

New York -- Apparel retailers reported modest sales growth for the month of September, fueled by back-to-school spending early in the month.

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- GoDaddy and Spree Commerce announced the launch of the GoDaddy Online Store for small businesses.

With Spree technology supporting the backend, this new GoDaddy offering will make it truly simple for small businesses worldwide to start selling online using e-commerce.

The companies first announced collaboration in February of this year. The GoDaddy Online Store has been available in beta since. More than 5,000 merchants have opened stores and sold millions of dollars of products and services, all over the world.

Grapevine, Texas -- GameStop announced the first in a series of updates to its GameStop app on mobile devices, and a chance for users who download the new app to win 1,000,000 PowerUp Rewards points.

New York -- One-quarter (25%) of U.S. consumers plans to spend more on holiday shopping this year up from 20% in 2013, and spending on holiday gifts is expected to average $718, according to Accenture’s annual holiday shopping survey.

The survey also found consumer enthusiasm for Black Friday shopping has reached its highest level in eight years. Two-thirds of respondents (66%) said they are likely to shop on Black Friday, compared to 55% who planned to do so in 2013.

By Jeremy Geiger, Retailigence

The headline is bold, but yes, 2014 is the year of hyperlocal mobile advertising, and there are three very important trends converging today to make this happen. The first is smartphone proliferation; according to eMarketer, smartphone users worldwide will total a record-breaking two billion in 2014. Now billions of people around the world have the devices needed to make hyperlocal ads possible.

New York -- The International Council of Shopping Centers forecasts a 4.0% increase in sales during the November-December holiday shopping period, the strongest gain in three years, amid positive economic signals. Total holiday shopping sales at shopping centers is estimated to be $488.6 billion in the same period.

Morrisville. N.C. – Same-store sales soared at Amazon.com and EBay during September 2014. According to e-commerce technology provider ChannelAdvisor, Amazon's September same-store sales growth came in at 37.9%, a decrease compared to August's 45.1%.  

Even with a decrease from August to September, 37.9% is more than twice the growth rate of e-commerce.

Philadelphia – Net sales at Destination Maternity Corp. dropped 5% to $122 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, from $128.3 million the same quarter a year earlier. Same-store sales, including Internet sales, declined 5%.

Net sales declined primarily from the decrease in same-store sales and decreased sales related to the company's continued efforts to close underperforming stores. Sales results were below previously released guidance.

Dallas -- EnTouch Controls awarded Corner Bakery Cafe the company’s annual Environmental Sustainability Award for its commitment to energy efficiency. The award is given to businesses that have made a significant positive impact on the environment.

Seattle - Blue Nile Inc. has launched a new mobile shopping app available in Apple's App Store, which now includes augmented reality on the app's "Dream Box" feature, allowing consumers to virtually "try on" a Blue Nile engagement ring from an iPhone.