Showrooming has been the big catch phrase this year for many crosschannel merchants, but should it be a concern for them? Jim Okamura, managing partner of Okamura Consulting, said in a recent interview at IRCE 2013, that in general it is a threat to most crosschannel merchants.
Back to school shopping is the first “season” to set the stage for how to serve your multichannel customers. With the expected revenue of more than $26 billion from this season alone, parents admit to more mobile price checking while in-store. Consider what parents and students are really seeking.
The search term “textbooks” was the top searched keyword for back-to-school, according to a blog post by AdGooroo who decided to examine paid search trends from last summer to predict the 2013 back-to-school retail season.
Merchants are in the midst of the back-to-school rush and are finding various ways to promote this busy time of the year.
The Wet Seal announced ecommerce sales were flat for the second quarter, according to a release. The retailer reported $120.5 million in net sales, an increase of 6.0% from last year.
Macy’s Inc. and LIDS Sports Group, a subsidiary of Genesco Inc., announced each have signed an agreement to open a licensed team merchandise department in Macy’s stores and online, according to a press release.
Merchants today need to be focused on the user experience and the digital relationship with the merchant. In this video, Smartbear’s Ken Godskind discusses what merchants need to do to prepare their ecommerce sites for the 2013 holiday season.
What a difference a year makes. J.C. Penney, which faced customer backlash, slumping sales, and the stepping down of CEO Ron Johnson, has now become one of the top online shopping destinations for back-to-school sales.
As we move closer to the 2013 holiday season, retailers are cautiously optimistic about consumer spending however they are expecting to see an uptick in the November and December months. Not surprisingly, retailers expect mobile to play an increased role in driving sales with minimal contributions from social media.
Even though a majority of merchants already have their back-to-school game plan in place, it’s still not too late to make the most out of the $72.5 billion shopping season.