J.C. Penney focused on omnichannel

Omnichannel initiatives are crucial to J.C. Penney’s newly-unveiled plan to drive profit and accelerate growth.



In a presentation at its 2016 analyst meeting, Penney said it is seeking to boost its e-commerce and omnichannel experience, starting with a newly redesigned app that enables customers to locate items, apply coupons and access their JCPenney Rewards more easily.



To efficiently fill online orders, Penney said it has made significant investments in state-of-the-art systems that support an enterprise-wide fulfillment strategy to minimize markdowns and improve customer service. It now has 250 stores capable of filling jcp.com orders with store inventory and shipping directly to customers. And more than 150,000 items on jcp.com are eligible for same-day pickup at any Penney store within four hours of the order being placed;



Looking ahead, in 2017, Penney will offer a standard home delivery turnaround of two business days or less to over 95% of the U.S. population.



“Since becoming CEO a year ago, the team and I have made considerable progress balancing the art and science of retail by improving our execution in omnichannel, marketing, store operations, supply chain and merchandising," said Marvin R. Ellison, chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney. "There is still much work to do, but I am confident that our focus on sales growth, new technology and expense management will continue to accelerate our turnaround and create shareholder value."