TECHNOLOGY

Walmart and Kroger in dead heat…
Two of the nation’s largest retailers shared the No. 1 position in a ranking of the top U.S. retailers. Walmart and Kroger Co. tied for first place (in the overall composite score) in Kantar Retail’s 2016 Retailer PoweRanking. The ranking is designed to identify the retailers currently setting the highest standards of performance as viewed by their trading partners, and to gain insight into what makes these retailers "best in class."
Nine Predictions for the 2016 Retail Holiday Season
With Halloween now behind us, the unofficial start of the 2016 retail holiday season is upon us. Amid intensifying competition, where are retailers placing their bets? Here are observations and expectations from Profitero for the critical fourth quarter seasonal period:

Report: Almost half of consumers skipping Black Friday

Year-round e-commerce sales and discounting have dulled the impact of traditional Black Friday sales for many consumers. These shoppers are so desensitized to “Black Friday hype” that nearly three in four respondents (73%) said they prefer to do their holiday shopping outside of the holiday season, during e-commerce sales, such as Amazon Prime Day. These preferences have influenced 47% of shoppers to skip Black Friday or Cyber Monday altogether this year, according to the second annual “JDA Consumer Survey.”
Nordstrom focuses on customers in holiday marketing
Report: A majority of shoppers use social media throughout their path to purchase

Social media is increasingly influencing the shopper’s entire path-to-purchase.
Report: Aeropostale has potential to become a 500-store chain—again

A big mall developer thinks Aerospostale still has plenty of life left in it. Simon Property Group, along with General Growth Properties and several other companies, bought the failing chain out of bankruptcy in September. Speaking to a group of investors last week, CEO David Simon expressed confidence in Aeropostale’s ability to regain momentum.
Shoptalk reveals speaker lineup

Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO of Target Corp., and Mindy Grossman, CEO and director of HSN, are among the headliners at Shoptalk 2017, the nex-gen retail and e-commerce event. Also on the bill: Devin Wenig, president and CEO of eBay.
Report: Digital and human interactions key to brick-and-mortar success

The more help a consumer receives—digital and human—the more he or she is willing to spend while in the store. Consumers spend twice as much in-store when they receive assistance from a store associate, according to a new study by InMoment, and 2.2 times more when they surf the brand’s web site while in the store. What’s more, a consumer’s average single-trip spend increases nearly four times when engaged by both in-store staff and the brand’s web site.
This retailer will close all its stores on Election Day

One of the retail industry’s most environmentally-activist brands is shutting down operations for Election Day. Patagonia will close its 30 U.S stores and headquarters in Ventura, Calif., on Election Day, Nov. 8, in an effort to encourage customers, employees and citizens to head to the polls. The company, which is giving its employees a paid holiday for the day, will also shutter its distribution and customer service center in Reno, Nevada.
First Look: Check out Walmart’s new BOPIS machine

Walmart is testing new technology that could revolutionize the way customers pick up purchases they ordered online. The discounter has installed a giant machine in a store in Bentonville, Ark., close to its headquarters, that automatically distributes online orders to users of Walmart's buy-online-pickup-in-store service, reported Business Insider. The machine is located directly inside the store's entrance.