Are retailers poised to take advantage of their “Blockbuster-Netflix” moment? Now is a good time for them to learn from Blockbuster’s mistake – not buying Netflix –
and aggressively acquire small, well-positioned ecommerce firms.
Ending years of speculation, Sears Holdings will sell its popular Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker for an estimated $900 million. It is also closing 108 Kmart and 42 Sears locations, while getting $150 million in loan guarantees from its CEO. So what’s in store for its other popular brand – Kenmore appliances – as the retail business continues to decline rapidly?
Looking to play to a core category strength, Sears Holdings announced plans to open a pilot standalone appliance store in Fort Collins, CO on May 19. If the concept is a success, it would quickly be rolled out in other markets.
Sears Holding Corp. showed a rare profit in Q2 thanks to property sales, while overall sales declined by 27.3%; comp sales were down at Sears and Kmart.
Data-driven, real-time marketing is a thing of beauty for retailers – but sometimes the technology can be too smart for its own good, as happened to Sears.
A Macy’s exec told IRCE attendees that buy online/pickup in store demand will be 3x higher during this year’s peak season than it was last December.
Up until the I got home and saw the security tag still attached to the vest, this had been a tremendous experience. As a matter of fact, when I was prompted to give immediate feedback, I highly praised the In-Vehicle Pickup service.
Sears announced the launch of its new “Reserve It” service to push offers to shoppers more multichannel options, see what other multichannel options Sears has planned.
When you compare Sears Holdings with its big box counterparts, it seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to innovation and technology. However, Sears Holdings is losing money like crazy, and rumor has it store closings will escalate. Here’s a look at some of the technology and innovation that’s making Sears Holdings brands Sears and Kmart look like winners.
To take advantage of the new return/exchange service, customers can visit sears.com, click on the customer service link, choose “returns and exchanges” and follow the prompts to identify the item. For an exchange, they select a new item and get an email confirmation when the replacement is ready for pickup.
Once at the store, they park in a designated In-Vehicle Pickup spot, and notify the store of their arrival via the app. A timer will start on the phone, and a Sears associate will arrive within five minutes and complete the return or exchange.