TECHNOLOGY

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.
Google testing voice search for local shopping

Google is testing a feature that allows users to search for specific products nearby or in a specific area using voice commands. According to a report by MediaPost, the feature, similar to a search experience, provides the users with a response (verbal in this case) based on local inventory around them.
IBM Watson brings Staples’ ‘Easy Button’ to life for businesses

Staples is working on bringing the “on-demand” world to businesses.
Report: 2016 Black Friday weekend deals will be biggest ever

Regardless of when retailers start their sales, Black Friday weekend is shaping up to feature the biggest deals yet. According to BlackFriday.fm, a website that tracks the best Black Friday deals, news, and ad scans, “the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are going to be bigger than ever this year, “ said Rene Kirschbaum, director of BlackFriday.fm. Among the retailers to watch include:
Amazon Q3 earnings jump, but still miss mark

Despite gains in the third quarter, Amazon’s stock fell 6% in extended trading. The pure-play retailer’s net sales increased 29% to $32.7 billion for the third quarter ending Sept. 30, 2016, compared with $25.4 billion in third quarter 2015. The company credits the jump to $52 million in year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter.