News

Stamford, Conn. -- GE Capital Retail Bank announced a long-term extension of its private label and dual card credit program with J.C. Penney Co.

Launched in 1999, the credit card program is managed by GE Capital’s Retail Finance business and available for purchases at any of the nearly 1,100 J.C. Penney stores across the United States and Puerto Rico.

New York — More than half (54%) of shoppers who used a coupon during purchase would not have made the purchase without the deal; in addition, 55% of these shoppers were inspired to shop because they received a coupon. Those are some of takeaways from a recent survey by Tada.com, which offers deals and coupons from more than 5,000 retailers.

By Joe Gillespie, president and CEO of Zoove

The online shopping experience has many benefits: access to unlimited inventory, quick search capabilities, and overall convenience. But it lacks one key element: human interaction. Before making a purchase, consumers often want to try out products — to see and touch them, or get a second opinion. In fact, a recent IBM survey reveals that nearly nine out of ten consumers still finalize their purchases in-store.

Denver - Consumers who shop at higher-end department stores and boutiques expect impeccable presentation whether purchases are made in-store or delivered to them, free shipping and returns, and locator services. According to a new study of 1,000 women who earn more than $75,000 annually by luxury retail packing and shipping solution provider Wrap & Send, 65% spend more than $100 at a physical retail store per month and 57% often purchase items in a physical store and have the store ship it to them.

The survey also found that:

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Domino’s Pizza, Inc. reported significant increases in net income, revenues and same-store sales during the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income was up 17.9% for the third quarter compared to the prior year period, from $26 million to $30.6 million.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears and Kmart are offering members of the Shop Your Way loyalty program a variety of new services for the holidays. For example, Kmart's lease-to-own program through Whynot Leasing, LLC will be available nationwide starting Nov. 22, giving customers a no-credit-required way to take home products immediately.

Bentonville, Ark. – A computer glitch reportedly eliminated limits on the debit card limits of food stamp recipients in some Wal-Mart stores in northern Louisiana on Oct. 12. According to Reuters, managers of Wal-Mart stores in Springhill, and Mansfield, La., called local police when large numbers of shoppers began coming in and purchasing huge volumes of products on electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards that had no credit limit.

New York – Duane Reade is running a three week, omnichannel social media marketing campaign to raise awareness of Duane Reade brand hosiery products. The "Boo-tiful Legs" Halloween contest calls for entrants to upload their original photos wearing Duane Reade brand hosiery with their Halloween costume, via a Duane Reade Facebook page FanGate, through Nov. 3.

Bay Shore, N.Y. - One in three shoppers have walked out of a store without buying the goods they intended to because of a bad experience with a self-service checkout, according to a new survey from queue management company Tensator. With 84% of respondents admitting to needing staff assistance when using a self-service, nearly 60% of customers actually prefer using more traditional staffed checkouts, the company said.

Other survey findings include:

St. Louis – Famous Footwear free app for iPhone and Android. The new app offers shoppers instant access to savings they can earn through Famous Footwear’s Rewards program, as well as exclusive mobile discounts and offers. The app allows users to plan, shop and track their purchases, and redeem their Rewards points from their mobile device.