News

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Eastman Kodak Company announced that its Kodak Picture Kiosk software will now allow consumers to use images from Facebook to create photo products. The enhanced Facebook application is the flagship feature of the new Kodak Picture Kiosk software version 5.0 currently being rolled out to retailers worldwide, the company said.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark has released the Caremark.com Droid application, which provides Android users with access to the Drug Information Database to learn about various prescription drugs and allows CVS Caremark plan members to log in and manage their prescriptions online.

The free app can be used with Android 2.1 OS and above phones. Caremark.com has had an iPhone application available since July 2010, and this new Android application further broadens CVS Caremark members' mobile access to their prescription information.

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook's influence on retail continues to grow as eBay announced that it has integrated the social network's Open Graph functionality into its storefront and fulfillment platforms.

Burlington, Mass. -- Demandware announced that Lush Cosmetics has selected the Demandware Commerce platform to power three new e-commerce storefronts in North America, including its U.S. English, Canadian English and Canadian French sites.

After evaluating several solutions, Lush felt the power of Demandware’s on-demand model would lessen the administrative requirements of its on-premise platform, while providing them with the freedom to custom-develop and support potential multi-site global deployments.

There will be no escaping the long arm of Walmart’s marketing efforts this holiday season as the retail reminds shoppers it has the lowest prices on the broadest assortment of merchandise. Chief merchandising office Duncan Mac Naughton is making sure of that, and on Wednesday he outlined all of the ways the company plans to communicate with shoppers in the months ahead.

Promotions during September saw mixed outcome with some retailers increasing the number of pages and inserts, while the rest decreased the volume of promotions. The contrasting promotional strategies among the retailers led to the overall change being minimal. 

Like August, the largest decrease was Lowes, which saw a 61% drop in number of number of pages per market and 54% decline in inserts per market. This was a result of Lowes not having promotions in the second and third week of both August and September.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples is looking to appeal to more small business customers by offering an expanded selection of printed products through its Copy & Print service. To further entice these customers, through Nov. 12, the company is offering 30% off all purchases of Copy & Print services of $30 or more produced in store, online or by phone.

By Martin Walker and Martin Walker, A.T. Kearney’s Global Business Policy Council

The fastest-growing age group worldwide in this century will be people over the age of 60. What must retailers and manufacturers know to adapt to this older consumer group? In the first-ever international survey of consumers over the age of 60, A.T. Kearney interviewed 3,000 people in 23 countries to find out what mature consumers want. The short answer: prices and labels they can read, packaging they can open, and more places to sit down in stores.