News

Reimagining IT for Omnichannel Retailing
By Will Poindexter and Coleman Mark, Bain & Company

Retailers need to quickly build world-class IT capabilities for omnichannel retailing — a seamless, integrated shopping experience, whether the customers are in the store or online. The major reason: customer expectations are rising, in part thanks to the strides made by new competitors with business models built on technology, and pure-play retailers like Amazon, which are not encumbered by legacy environments and physical stores.
Genesco streamlines supply chain with DiCentral
Nashville, Tenn. - Genesco Inc. has selected DiCentral to help streamline the company’s supply chain management processes and provide better exchanges of data with suppliers. Genesco selected DiConnect Enterprise as its EDI (EDI/INT) solution.

In addition to connecting with the DiCentral Network, Genesco also plans to use DiConnect to exchange data with its large suppliers. DiConnect is a scalable, Internet EDI solution for enterprises seeking to exchange purchase orders, invoices and other business documents with trading partners.

RILA fighting breach battle in D.C.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) says retailers support a strong pre-emptive federal data breach law that allows for reasonable and clear notice triggered by potential customer harm.

In testimony this week before Congress, Brian Dodge, executive VP at RILA, will focus on retailers’ priority of supporting a strong preemptive federal data breach law that allows for reasonable and clear notice triggered by potential customer harm.
Walgreens Boots Alliance names Alliance finance exec CFO

Deerfield, Ill. - Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has named George Fairweather, formerly group finance director of Alliance Boots, as executive VP and global CFO, effective Feb. 20. Fairweather will succeed Timothy McLevish, who served as Walgreens CFO since August 2014, where he oversaw the merger with Alliance Boots to form Walgreens Boots Alliance and served as the initial global CFO of the combined companies.
Home Depot, Zappos, Office Depot among online customer service leaders

Chicago – One pure-play and six omnichannel retailers received top honors for their online customer service in the E-Tailing Group’s Q4 2014 Mystery Shopping Study. In alphabetical order, the top performers were Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kate Spade, Office Depot, Ross-Simons, The Home Depot, Williams-Sonoma, and Zappos.
NRF: Valentine’s spending looks rosy

Washington, D.C. – Valentine’s Day should be especially sweet for retailers this year. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) Valentine’s Day Consumer Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, the average person celebrating Valentine’s Day will spend $142.31 on candy, flowers, apparel and more.

That figure is up 6% from $133.91 in 2013. Total spending is expected to reach $18.9 billion, a survey high.
Ikea continues U.S. expansion with new Ohio store

Columbus, Ohio -- Ikea announced that it is submitting plans to the City of Columbus, Ohio, for a store that would increase the Swedish furniture retailer’s Ohio presence to two stores. The newest store, located in the Polaris Centers of Commerce development about 15 miles north of downtown Columbus, is slated to open summer 2017.
Tech Guest Viewpoint: Three e-commerce trends to follow in 2015

By Marcel Munoz, CTO, Thanx Media

2014 was an interesting year in e-commerce. Who would have predicted that mobile commerce would explode the way it did? Advances in technology continue to influence consumer behavior and in turn their preferences are driving innovation in software and hardware.
Favado grocery app gets an update

For many supermarkets, having an effective grocery shopping app is a key component of their omnichannel toolkit. But how to design it?

Retailers could learn from Favado 2.0, a redesigned version of the grocery community savings app by savings.com. The sale and coupon data in Favado 2.0 is aggregated by grocery savings experts throughout the country and presented in a new visual format.
Report: Restaurants remain leading job creator in 2015

Washington, D.C. -- Restaurants will remain the nation’s hottest hirer this year. An annual report by the National Restaurant Association indicated that, as it has for the last 16 years, the restaurant industry employment will outpace employment growth in 2015.