News

Report: Etsy planning IPO
New York -- Etsy, an online marketplace site that specializes in crafts and artsy items, plans to hold an initial public offering this quarter, according to Bloomberg.

The Brooklyn-based company, which is working with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, looks to raise about $300 million, the report said.
Shoppers push holiday sales up 4%
Confident consumers stocked up on gifts and other merchandise over the 2014 holiday season, helping boost overall holiday retail sales to their highest level since 2011.

According to the National Retail Federation, December retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, decreased 0.9% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, and 4.6% unadjusted year-over-year. The significant drop in gasoline prices in the month of December brought down much of the month-to-month growth.

GameStop a winner despite sales drop?

The strength of the U.S. dollar and a decline in hardware sales are among the reasons GameStop cited for its decline in holiday sales. But that's not the whole story.

Sales of new software, a key category for the video game retailer, were strong. New software sales increased 5.8%, or 8.9% in constant currency. The growth was driven by a 94.4% increase in PS4 and Xbox One software, led by titles such as Activision’s Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V and Ubisoft’s Far Cry 4.
Mothercare creates better fulfillment with Manhattan Associates

London - Mothercare plc intends to create faster and more convenient omnichannel fulfillment options to its customers using supply chain commerce solutions from Manhattan Associates. The Manhattan solutions will enable Mothercare to make store stock available for online sales and support more efficient customer processes to speed up delivery options through express click and collect services and ship from store.
‘Nomophobia’ is new reality for retailers

Entering 2015, it is a good time for retailers to reflect on the changing state of digital advertising and how the most effective ads are increasingly shaped by smart optimization technologies. One essential fact is driving this broad industry trend: consumers are becoming ever more reliant on their smartphones, tablets and wearable devices. This growing dependence on mobile devices has even ushered in a new term for “nomophobia,” which is the fear of having no mobile contact.
PetSmart considered buying rival chain

Phoenix – PetSmart Inc. considered but ultimately rejected attempting to buy an unidentified, privately held pet retail chain before agreeing to an $8.7 billion sale in December 2014. In an SEC filing, PetSmart disclosed it decided against the purchase after determining there could be competitive and antitrust issues.

PetSmart also said 27 potential buyers showed interest in purchasing the company between August and October 2014, before PetSmart formally launched a bidding process.
BJ’s gets smarter about it store locations

Location analytics solutions provider Esri is helping BJ’s Wholesale Club generate actionable business insights from club location data.

BJ’s use of Esri’s solutions was announced in conjunction with the National Retail Federation’s Big Show in New York. More specifically, BJ’s will use Esri’s location analytics solutions to aid in real estate research strategy and business insight analysis.
NRF 2015: The Two Big Trends

Two technology trends stood out above all others at this week’s NRF Annual Convention. First, retailers are becoming aware that omnichannel inventory transparency is the back-end platform supporting the front-end seamless customer experience they have been building the past few years. Being able to see all inventory across all channels in real time is the key to enabling omnichannel processes such as shipping and fulfilling from store, centrally managing orders from multiple sales channels, providing “endless aisle” access to full inventory.
Wayfair paints a new e-commerce strategy

Online home furnishings retailer Wayfair is leveraging Sherwin-Williams’ color technology for a whole new user experience on wayfair.com.

The retailer plans to integrate Sherwin-Williams’ color matching technology throughout the wayfair.com shopping experience, allowing shoppers to browse paint colors alongside more than 2 million products in furniture, décor and bedding.
Super Saturday Recap: Customer Experience is the Ultimate Goal

In addition to educating attendees about the charitable activities of Retail ROI and presenting a heartfelt session from Katie Meyler, founder of Liberian non-profit More Than Me and a 2014 Time Person of the Year for her Ebola prevention efforts, this year’s Super Saturday event in New York focused squarely on customer experience. A variety of industry experts across a range of panel discussions all returned to the crucial need for technology-enabled, seamless customer experience.