TECHNOLOGY

After a decade-long increase, Valentine’s Day sales may be less rosy this year.   U.S. consumers are expected to spend an average $136.57, down from last year’s record-high $146.84. Total spending is expected to reach $18.2 billion, down from $19.7 billion last year, which was also a record, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics, which surveyed 7,591 consumers about their Valentine’s Day plans.  

In addition to reporting a strong quarter of earnings and store openings, H&M is slowing down its store growth and instead, bolstering its digital operations.   The company, which aimed to open 10% to 15% more physical stores each year, reported Tuesday, Jan. 31, is shifting its focus to increasing its omnichannel sales — including both stores and online sales — by 10% to 15% per year, according to H&M.  

Consumers have increasingly high expectations for a unified shopping and brand experience across all purchasing channels and touchpoints.   Retailers that can address their demand for more personalization, price, and fulfillment along the path to purchase will be the winners going forward, according to the “Consumer Trends Report — 2017 Edition,” from Kibo. The study is based on responses from more than 3,000 consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom.  

Every year, 30,000 retail industry professionals descend on Manhattan for the National Retail Federation’s “Big Show.    It’s a once-a-year opportunity to take the pulse of one of our most familiar industries. Amazon conspicuously abstains from the event, but it is nonetheless the focus of many conversations, distracting some retailers from the real opportunity: innovations in customer experience. Thankfully, this year a healthy shift seems to have begun.  

Starbucks is further evolving its digital customer experience.    Staring Monday, Jan. 30, Starbucks is launching a beta test for a voice messaging service that enables guests to place and pre-pay for their food and beverage orders “on command” via the Starbucks mobile iOS app and the Amazon Alexa platform. The new “My Starbucks barista” feature is an extension of Starbucks Mobile Order & Pay service, which allows customers to order and pay for their items before arriving at their store.  

Amazon just made ordering toothpaste a little bit easier.   The retail giant teamed up with Colgate to launch the Amazon Dash Button for Colgate, which enables shoppers to stock up on the brand’s dental hygiene essentials, including toothpaste and toothbrushes, with the click of a button.  

In an era when gamers want new releases in their hands as quickly as possible, GameStop is changing the rules.   The gaming retailer calls its updated strategy a “new moment of truth.” Described as the gap between when a consumer purchases merchandise and actually receives it, this timing can truly make or break the chain’s reputation going forward — especially as digital retailing increases customer expectations.  

Banana Republic will be giving shoppers a chance to buy its Olivia Palermo designs right after they appear on the runway.   Upholding its “see now, buy now” presentation model, the apparel retailer will enable customers to purchase pieces from its Spring 2017 collection at pop-up shops at select Banana Republic stores on Feb. 9. The collection is based on the street-style of fashionista Olivia Palermo.