U.S. retail and consumer merger & acquisition (M&A) activity in 2012 was primarily driven by corporations spinning off businesses, private equity (PE) investment in retail, increased cross border activity and expansion into e-commerce, according to PwC’s US retail and consumer M&A insights 2012 Year in Review and 2013 Outlook report released today.
The National Retail Federation said that few, if any, merchants are expected to surcharge customers for using a credit card as theoretically allowed under a controversial proposed lawsuit settlement with Visa and MasterCard being debated in the courts.
Apparel and accessories seller GUESS will leverage VendorNet’s StoreNet technology to implement omnichannel retail capabilities, specifically fulfillment of online sales from its brick and mortar locations.
Amazon.com today announced plans to open three new fulfillment centers in the state of Texas, creating more than 1,000 jobs. The sites, which will utilize advanced technology to help fulfill customer orders, will be located in the cities of Coppell, Haslet and Schertz.
Amazon.com’s net sales increased 27% to $61.09 billion for the year ending Dec. 31, compared with $48.08 billion in 2011. Excluding the $854 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the year, net sales grew 29% compared with 2011.
Results of the e-tailing group’s 15th Annual Mystery Shopping Study, conducted during the fourth quarter of 2012, have been released and nine merchants, including Zappos, Saks Fifth Avenue, Zappos and Office Depot have been recognize for excelling at online customer service.
In this video from the National Retail Federation, Belk Chairman and CEO Thomas Belk Jr offered attendees at NRF Annual Convention & EXPO in New York five observations, not all lessons learned, but honest admissions and tips that any retailer – whether ahead of the curve in the digital revolution or still catching up – can appreciate.
The Search Agency, an online marketing firm and independent search marketing agency, released its quarterly State of Paid Search Report, which, among other findings, reports that smartphones and tablets drove 23 percent of total clicks in the fourth quarter of 2012, an 89 percent increase year over year.
Amazon has announced plans to open a new one million-square-foot fulfillment center in Tracy, California, making it the third one in the state for the ecommerce company.
Luxury shoppers are more likely to use mobile channels when shopping but are slightly less satisfied with ecommerce overall, according to the recently released Luxury E-Retail Satisfaction Index by customer experience analytics firm ForeSee.