TECHNOLOGY

Forrester: Online holiday spending to increase by double digits over last year
Overall positive economic conditions will propel retail sales online as well as of offline this coming holiday season. That's according to a report by Forrester, which predicts that U.S. online holiday sales will grow 12% to reach $129 billion in 2017, compared to $115 billion last year. Offline holiday sales will inch up 0.3%, to reach $549 billion in 2017.
Discounter ups mobile game with in-store location technology
Target Corp. is making it easier for customers to find their way around its stores — and to quickly find what they are looking for. The chain is integrating beacon and Bluetooth technology into its mobile app. It will show the shopper’s location in real-time on the app's map as they move about the store, and display nearby Cartwheel deals. Shoppers will also be able to find an item on the map through their digital shopping list.

Target in major expansion of next-day delivery program

The delivery wars continue to heat up as Target Corp. announced it was rolling out its next-day delivery service of household essentials, Target Restock, to eight new markets.
Grocery giant to buy meal-kit company

Albertsons Cos. has become the first national grocery retailer to acquire a prepared-meals company. The nation's second largest supermarket chain is acquiring online meal company Plated in a deal that is expected to close later this month. The move taps into Americans' growing demand for meal delivery services and also shores up Albertsons' defenses against Amazon, which has become a key player in grocery with its acquisition of Whole Foods Market.
Amazon to embark on Big Apple hiring spree

Amazon is about to put down some new roots in New York City — and is hunting for new employees to support the operation.
Nothing scary about this forecast

There is good news for retailers in a just-released survey on Halloween spending. Americans will splurge on costumes, candy and pumpkins for a record $9.1 billion in Halloween spending this year, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. That's up 8.3% from last year’s previous record of $8.4 billion.
Furniture e-retailer extends AR shopping app

Wayfair now allows Apple iOS 11 users to visualize 3D furniture and décor in their home before they buy it. The furniture e-retailer’s “View in Room 3D” app is now available on Apple’s on iOS 11 platform. Supported by Apple’s ARKit augmented reality technology, the app is now accessible on iPhones and iPads.
The two companies with the highest online grocery satisfaction are...

If traditional supermarket retailers want to become online destinations for grocery, they need to step up their digital shopping experiences. In fact, shoppers rated their overall satisfaction ordering food and grocery items online highest with Amazon (4.63 on a five-point scale where five is highest), followed by Walmart (4.41). Supermarkets/food stores trailed behind with a rating of 4.32.
The top fast-fashion brands that are killing it on social media are…

Visual content has made H&M, Topshop/Topman Forever21 the most successful social media brands in the competitive fast-fashion industry. This was according to data from visual content performance platform ShareIQ. The analysis digs into the data for the first three quarters of 2017 among the top brands in the fast-fashion category in the United States: H&M, Forever21, Uniqlo, Gap, Old Navy, Topshop/Topman, Zara, Mango and American Apparel.
Contact-free payment speeds up checkout at discount grocer

Aldi is making it easier for customers to pay for purchases. The fast-growing deep-discount grocer now accepts all forms of contactless payment, including Apple Pay, Google Wallet and Android Pay. All options are available across Aldi’s nearly 1,700 stores nationwide. Shoppers can pay for their groceries by tapping their contactless-enabled bank card, smartphone or other wearable device on a dedicated payment terminal.