With the last Christmas trees thrown to the curb, pine needles askew, let’s assume the retail industry is taking a breather and nursing a holiday hangover. Best not to break too long though as there are 10 more months to plan for and e-commerce to navigate.
After more than 30 years, JCPenney decided to re-enter the appliance business when customer data showed that the vast majority of its shoppers own a home and are frequently searching for major appliance options on jcp.com.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That seemed to be what was going on at NRF BIG Show 2016 on Monday.
With 2016 upon us, it’s a good time to look ahead a four key retail trends gathering momentum in the new year, what drastic changes the industry will see and what cool new technologies shoppers will be able to take advantage of at scale (keep reading, we won’t mention drones!).
Pureplay ecommerce retailers are disadvantaged by the high cost of marketing and shipping, making their business model challenging and ultimately unsustainable in the long-term, according to a report released this week by L2.
For retail brands, digital marketing in general is an important part of driving engagement and sales both online and in-store.
Supply chain issues tied to new OMS and WMS systems led to inventory shortfalls and poor third quarter results for sporting apparel retailer Finish Line.
The payments landscape is changing fast –and much of this fast-paced change is being driven by today’s digitally empowered consumers, whose expectations have been transformed by the smartphone and the services these supply. Which means that more than ever before, consumers expect payments to be fast, convenient and hassle-free.
Over the last several years, the introduction of new payment solutions has risen dramatically, yet consumers are ultimately reliant on retailers actually implementing these new solutions at the point of sale to enjoy the benefits these technologies provide.
Despite all the doom and gloom news that came out of Macy’s, Inc. on Jan. 6, chairman and CEO Terry Lundgren said its omnichannel investments are paying off.
It’s hard to argue against that: In November and December, the company filled nearly 17 million online orders at macys.com and bloomingdales.com.
But Macy’s really has the same problem other omnichannel retailers are experiencing. They are sacrificing store-level salespeople at the expense of technology, and not finding a happy medium to make the omnichannel experience a positive one.