News

Macy’s realigns leadership toward omnichannel focus
Cincinnati -- Macy’s on Tuesday unveiled a series of senior executive appointments the retailer says will support its new focus on omnichannel advances and overall innovation. Macy’s announced on Jan. 8 it would restructure its omnichannel capabilities and align the organization toward growth via merchandising, merchandise planning, marketing and technology.

Effective Jan. 31, the following changes were made to staffing and priorities:
Study: Mobile shoppers stay home
Reston, Va. – Despite the popular image of “showrooming” mobile shoppers using their devices to find better prices on in-store items, 85% of consumers actively shop with a mobile device from home, even if other devices are available. In addition, the “Mobile Spend in 2015” study from Contact Solutions shows that 26% of consumers do in fact showroom, while 27% will make mobile purchases from a store they are shopping in.

Other findings include:

Deeper Dive: Forever 21 and Oracle

Forever 21 is planning to open 600 new stores in the next three years, and is helping to ensure those stores attract shoppers with Oracle Retail merchandising and assortment planning technology. By more accurately and efficiently predicting what precise individual items (including SKU-level variations) will be in demand in specific locations at specific times, Forever 21 is making stores as customer-centric as possible.
EBay to enter equipment and industrial live auction marketplace

San Jose, Calif. – Tractors are a long way from Pez dispensers, but EBay is entering the equipment and industrial live online auction space. EBay and online marketplace platform provider Proxibid are partnering to make heavy equipment, industrial machinery, farm equipment, cars and trucks accessible via live auctions on the EBay marketplace using Proxbid’s software solutions and bidding technology.
Amazon gets physical with students

In its latest effort to win more customers, e-commerce giant Amazon is going brick-and-mortar on campus.

The retailer has opened its first-ever staffed customer order pickup and drop-off location at Purdue University’s West Lafayette, Ind., campus. Purdue students now have a new convenient option for receiving textbooks and other college essentials, as well as a hassle-free way to return textbook rentals and other orders.
The Post Omnichannel World: Four Steps to Creating a Truly Connected Experience

By Jim Crawford

In the 1990s, when the Internet and e-commerce created a tangible link between modes of shopping that had previously been isolated (stores and catalogs), retailers struggled with how to understand, measure, and connect with shoppers in multiple ways.

It was out of this confusion that the concept of “multichannel” was heralded as retail’s saving grace, and soon, retailers were all abuzz with cross-channel shoppers.
PetSense supports omnichannel operations with Shopatron

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Specialty pet retailer PetSense has selected Shopatron as its inventory lookup and analytics partner to support its omnichannel operations, including a new e-commerce site that launched in November 2014. The Shopatron Retailer platform will support more than 3,000 PetSense product SKUs and allows the retailer to see which items were searched for at what location to help guide its merchandising decisions.
Most shoppers skeptical about data protection by retailers

Los Angeles -- American shoppers feel they can’t trust retailers to protect their credit card and personal information either online or in brick-and-mortar stores. According to a survey by Bizrate Insights, 62% of shoppers agreed that "Current security to protect credit card and personal information at a retailers’ brick-and-mortar stores isn’t strong enough.”

This was only marginally worse than concerns for security on websites (60% agree) but better that mobile transactions (65% agree).
Walgreens Boots names global legal officer

Walgreens Boots Alliance has appointed Marco Pagni, formerly group legal counsel and chief administrative officer of Alliance Boots, as EVP and global chief legal and administrative officer, effective immediately.
Goth Cinderella collection coming to Hot Topic

What do you get when you cross a Disney princess and a mall goth? Hot Topic has found the answer with its new collection inspired by an upcoming Disney live action film.

Hot Topic’s new "Cinderella" collection will be available Feb. 24 exclusively at Hot Topic stores and on hottopic.com, with a pre-sale going on now at hottopic.com.