News

Fort Myers, Fla. - Chico’s FAS is launching a digital charitable giving campaign powered by HelloWorld. The campaign features a Facebook-integrated microsite and a mobile optimized site that allows consumers to upload a photo and treat it with pink coloring and the hashtag #TOGETHER in honor of Breast Health Awareness Month.

San Jose, Calif. – Neighbrhds, a product of mobile marketing provider Urban Living Marketing, has recently released more than 50 apps, each focused on providing the user with local information tailored specifically to their neighborhood. Each app, named after its corresponding neighborhood, aims to provide residents and visitors with instant access to community events, local businesses and more.

By Dov Cohn, Bronto Software

By Francesca Nicasio, Retail Expert, Vend

Implementing rewards programs is a common best practice in retail for a host of reasons. These programs can increase sales, encourage repeat purchases, and can provide a wealth of data and insights into the shopping behaviors of customers.

Fort Worth, Texas – RadioShack Corp. has reportedly so far been unsuccessful in its efforts to convince an unidentified ‘major vendor’ to modify a commercial agreement in a way that could benefit a financial restructuring. According to the Wall Street Journal, RadioShack still has not identified the vendor or exactly what terms it wants to restructure, but has been negotiating with wireless carriers including AT&T and Sprint to ease the terms under which the retailer is allowed to resell equipment.

Seattle – The retail industry is expected to benefit from mobile commerce, free shipping offers, in-store pickup promotions and e-commerce videos during the 2014 holiday season. According to global analytics and insights firm Blueocean Intelligence, the top six digital and social media trends that will drive sales for retailers in the upcoming holiday season are:

Mooresville, N.C. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Lowe's Companies Inc. the highest honor for industry leadership in its SmartWay Transport Partnership. Lowe's received a 2014 SmartWay Excellence Award for superior environmental performance in supply chain operations.

Coppell, Texas – An increase in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses driven by growing costs of advertising, new stores and store support helped Alco Stores Inc. swing to a net loss of $7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2014 from net earnings of $800,000 a year earlier.

Net sales dropped 6% to $110.7 million, from $117.7 million. Same-store sales declined 8.9%.

Steamboat Springs, Colo. - Point6, a manufacturer, distributor and retailer of performance-oriented socks, has implemented NetSuite's cloud-based business management suite that provides the company with capabilities to run its core business operations including financials, inventory management, order management, fulfillment and warehouse management. This modernization effort has helped Point6 streamline the order to cash business process.

New York - PayItSimple, a new service that lets consumers charge any purchase on their existing credit cards and pay it back in monthly, interest-free installments, has launched in the U.S. PayItSimple supports an omnichannel shopping experience and is available for e-commerce, brick-and-mortar, mobile and all other payment platforms.