News

Specialty retailer the Children’s Place has rejected an alternate slate of directors proposed by a firm agitating for change after it acquired roughly 2% of the retailer’s outstanding shares.

New technology innovations pop up in retail all the time. The Amazon Dash button made a splash on April Fools Day, and before the end of the month Apple Watch will offer consumers a whole new way to engage retailers.

Every time a new retail technology innovation rears its head, pundits proclaim that the whole consumer-retailer relationship will be instantly re-invented. And the relationship between consumers and retailers has changed dramatically since the introduction of e-commerce 20 years ago.

When retailers' customers aren’t happy, how do they really know? Many key metrics, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), are born from accumulated survey results and don’t capture true happiness. Surveys focus on whether a customer is satisfied, which is very different from happieness. These are two very different things. So, the question becomes: Are companies really primed to measure customer happiness, or are they settling for a rationalized alternative created by linguistic gymnastics in a survey?

Modesto, Calif. - Save Mart Supermarkets has chosen NCR and Inmar Digital Promotions Network, a subsidiary of Inmar, to help drive customer loyalty online, mobile and in-store. NCR cloud and marketing retail solutions, combined with Inmar’s targeted digital coupon content and services, will allow Save Mart to manage promotions and loyalty programs while introducing digital coupons that are accessible via multiple sales channels.

By Christoph Stehmann, Pitney Bowes

According to the U.S. Commerce Department, retail e-commerce sales totaled over $304 billion in 2014, up 15.4% from the prior year. Also, eMarketer predicts that U.S. retail e-commerce sales will total approximately $350 billion in 2015.

The growth in e-commerce sales represents a huge opportunity for U.S. retailers. However, to be successful, retailers need to make sure they have the right shipping strategies and solutions in place to encourage shoppers to purchase goods online.

For some retailers, earthtones are the color palette of today; for others, bright white sets merchandise off to perfection. Meet Brian Foster of Paint Folks as he discusses trends in paint colors and how his company offers more than just paint.  
 

Starboard Value, the investment firm driving change at Staples, pushed the retailer to merge with Office Depot and now has achieved another of its goals with the addition of a new board member.

New York -- A majority (66%) of U.S. consumers expect to receive a tax refund this year, according to a consumer survey sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers. And 47% of these consumers plan to use their refunds on goods and services, including apparel, electronics and convenience items.