Eye-on-Retail Tipsheet 3/27/13: Walmart tests in-store lockers, doubles online sku’s

“Wal-Mart tests in-store lockers for online orders” by Anne D’Innocenzio at AP via Seattle-Times. “Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will be testing this summer an option for consumers to be able to order product on its website and then have it kept in a physical locker at the store so they can pick it up without having to wait in line or talk to a store clerk. The test, which will be conducted in about a dozen stories in an undisclosed market, is part of the world’s largest retailer’s overall strategy to offer increasingly demanding web-savvy shoppers the ability to shop any way they want. The company is also expanding its offerings online and improving a new “scan and go” shopping app so customers can immediately download coupons personalized to them.” Read more: https://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020643437_apuswalmartlockers.html

BRIEF-Wal Mart Stores-e-Commerce exec says has 2 million items on Walmart website, plans to double that this year (Reuters)

“A Quarter of Patents This Year Will Be Mobile Related” by Ina Fried at All Things D. “A new report shows that a quarter of U.S. patents issued this year are likely to be related to mobile technology. That’s up from just 5 percent of all patents in 2001, according to analyst Chetan Sharma. In Europe, mobile is somewhat less of a focus, accounting roughly 10 percent of all patents.” Read more: https://allthingsd.com/20130327/a-quarter-of-patents-this-year-will-be-mobile-related/

“What’s A Mobile Ad Worth? Google Would Love To Show You” by Robert Hof at Forbes. “Google is launching an initiative it calls Full Value of Mobile. It includes a calculator for determining how much revenue, value per click, and return on investment marketers get from various kinds of mobile ad actions, such as clicks to call a business or even in-store visits. A recent study Google conducted with Nielsen showed that about a third of mobile searches prompted a visit to a store, a call to a business, or an online purchase.” Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2013/03/26/whats-a-mobile-ad-worth-google-would-love-to-show-you/

“American Express and Walmart Announce the Addition of FDIC Insurance and Worry-Free Check Writing to Bluebird®” “Bluebird Accountsi will now be eligible for FDIC insurance, providing an extra layer of security. As a result, permanent Bluebird Accounts will now have the ability to receive direct deposit of government payments, such as social security payments, military pay, and tax refunds. Customers can also balance their Bluebird checkbook in real-time with pre-authorized check writing, add checks to their Bluebird Account by mail and add funds up to $100,000 annually.” Read more: https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130326005989&div=-1245645151

“‘Quite different’ markets: Target Canada president addresses price gap with U.S.” by Hollie Shaw at Financial Post. ““There has been a lot of widely publicized discussion around why the retail prices are not on parity,” Mr. Fisher said, which revealed multiple labyrinthine industry factors. Last year, a BMO study estimated Canadian retail prices are roughly 14% higher than in the U.S. “Transportation costs are higher, distribution costs are higher, fuel costs are higher, wage rates vary across the country, the tax rates are different, cost of goods are different, the duties — I think the scale we have here in Canada is quite different from the incredibly different, densely populated U.S. marketplace,” he said.” Read more: https://business.financialpost.com/2013/03/26/quite-different-markets-target-canada-president-addresses-price-gap-with-u-s/

“Top 6 Highest Rated Retail CEOs” by Joe Skorupa at RIS. “This question is answered by Glassdoor, the online jobs and career community, in its recently released report, “50 Highest Rated CEOs. Here are the top retail CEOs in order of their ranking on the list:

Jeff Bezos, Amazon

Blake Nordstrom, Nordstrom

Glenn Murphy, The Gap

Frank Blake, The Home Depot

Sharon Turney, Victoria’s Secret

Ed Crenshaw, Publix

“SUPERVALU Announces Companywide Workforce Reduction” “SUPERVALU Inc. today announced plans to reduce its national workforce by an estimated 1,100 positions. The final working dates for impacted employees vary, based on the needs of the business and the areas they support. The reductions include both current positions and open jobs that will not be filled.” Read more: https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130326005770&div=-1245645151

“Walmart’s Award Winning ‘Green Room’ Blog Creates Online Platform for Global Sustainability Conversation” “In an effort to further promote global sustainability best practices, Walmart has developed The Walmart Green Room, an online platform with the mission of creating a more sustainable world to help people live better. The site, designed and developed by Rain, a NYC/Utah-based digital content creation company, has facilitated a conversation on green living with hundreds of thousands of companies and consumers all over the world.” Read more: https://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsLang=en&newsId=20130326006058&div=-1245645151

“Apple to Triple their Retail Footprint in India by 2015” at Patently Apple. “Buoyed by the success of the iPhone in India, Apple has decided to scale up its presence in the country and plans to triple its exclusive stores to around 200 by 2015.” Read more: https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2013/03/apple-to-triple-their-retail-footprint-in-india-by-2015.html

Thanks for reading…

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