TECHNOLOGY

Digital retailing is on the rise, but sometimes you just need to speak to a human being.

Online home furnishings retailer Wayfair is making this task even easier for its growing customer base with the opening of a new customer service center in Bangor, Maine. The facility will employ 450 full-time customer service positions, a workforce that will reinforce an already-reputable retail experience among its rapidly growing customer base.

As retailers industry-wide search for the ideal customer engagement program, Williams-Sonoma is getting back to basics.  

A pioneer in mobile ordering and payment capabilities, Subway is making a bold move to keep its digital strategies innovative.  

Target Corp. is putting out the red carpet for the opening of New York Fashion Week.     The retailer, in partnership with IMG, the parent company behind Fashion Week, opened a temporary sing-a-long piano lounge at The Park at Moynihan Station (on West 33rd Street), one of the official NYFW venues. It kicked off the fashion event with an opening party that drew such luminaries as Queen Latifah, Christie Brinkley, and Kendall Jenner.  

A majority of millennials are purchasing gift cards, but not for the obvious reasons.   According to a new report from analyst firm Mercator Advisory Group, nearly three-in-five young adults said they bought refillable retailer-specific gift cards during the previous year, up from less than half of shoppers who reported making these purchases in the 2015 study. The biggest jump was among 18- to 24-year-olds, which climbed from 44% to 53%; followed by those aged 25 to 34, which increased from 48% to 57%.  

Shoptalk, the nex-gen retail and e-commerce event, has named Sucharita Mulpuru, as chief retail strategist. The company is also expanding with a new networking program.   

Meijer is jumping into the increasingly crowded food delivery arena.    In a move to deliver even more convenience to its time-starved shoppers, the Michigan-based retailer launching an app-based grocery delivery service in Detroit and southeastern Michigan.  

PetSmart is no stranger to “using every connection to bring pet parents closer to their pets.” Reinforcing its mission statement, PetSmart will add a next-generation platform that will unify the omnichannel shopping experience, and make it easier for the brand to engage with consumers throughout their path-to-purchase.   

With an eye on personalization and engagement, Nordstrom revamped its Nordstrom Rewards program -- a move that has earned the chain 1.7 million new members since its launch in May.   "We heard from our customers that they wanted a more personalized and flexible loyalty program," said Chris Holloway, VP of loyalty, Nordstrom.  

In a deal that comes right before the all-important holiday selling season, Toys “R” Us has entered into an exclusive partnership with one of the toy industry’s premier doll brands.     Mattel’s American Girl division announced a multi-year partnership with Toys “R” Us that will make the toy giant the first — and only — U.S.-based retailer to feature American Girl in-store shops.