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Nordstrom has launched its new Facebook app, dubbed the Nordstrom Santa, aimed to help users hint at which gifts they’d like through social networking sites. Shoppers simply pick out a gift item from Nordstrom’s website and enter the URL on Nordstrom’s Facebook page.

Black Friday is being measured by the success of retailers' early store openings. But these extended hours may not have been as lucrative as they appear.

Beaumont, Texas -- Conn’s announced that it completed a $20 million expansion, to $450 million, of its revolving credit facility, which expires in July 2015. The company received a commitment from one new lender and received an increased commitment from one of the existing participants in the bank group. “We appreciate the additional support coming from our financial partners,” commented Theodore Wright, chairman, Conn’s. “This expansion of our revolving credit facility provides additional support for our long-term growth plans.”

Cyber Monday shouldn't change its name to Mobile Monday. At least not yet. As it has in all other areas of retailing, mobile commerce has made its presence felt during the Black Friday-to-Cyber Monday shopping period. Mobile devices are the gateway to retailer websites for 13.3 percent of consumers, and 8.5 percent are using these devices to make a purchase, according to an IBM Benchmark Alert.

Attention holiday shoppers: your cell phone may be tracked this year. Starting on Black Friday and running through New Year's Day, two U.S. malls will track guests' movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are all about driving customers into stores and increasing online traffic while boosting sales. Retailers craft television, print, social, online and in-store promotions to drive traffic. Whether they are pushing deep discounts or grabbing customers' attention with quirky (and sometimes downright bizarre) tactics, marketing plans are an essential part of the after-Thanksgiving madness. The world's largest retailer, Walmart, began luring its customers to its brick-and-mortar doors by starting Black Friday sales on Thursday night. Similarly, its plan to draw customers to its website began a day early by offering online discounts on Sunday. To

Italy-based fashion brand Etro recently opened its newly relocated London flagship store, according to www.wwd.com. Housed in a former art gallery on London's Bond Street, the two story, wood-paneled space spans 6,450 sq. ft. The new store is a cross between a grand aristocratic home and a luxe nomad’s tent, with oil portraits lining the walls, colored Venetian chandeliers in the changing rooms, and Art Deco furniture and light fixtures from the South of France. The store also features the building's original walnut paneling, marquetry and marble fireplaces, as well as skylights and a tiny cupola in the entranceway.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens said Tuesday it has introduced online ordering and in-store pickup at 70+ stores in the Indianapolis market, with some stores offering curbside delivery. The new Web Pickup service throughout the Indianapolis area is the second full market rollout for the service, which enables consumers to shop online at Walgreens.com and pick up orders at a Walgreens store in as little as an hour. The service is also currently available throughout Chicago and at a number of stores in San Jose, Calif. “Our customers value choice, control and convenience, and Web Pickup brings all of these

Target will donate $5 million to local schools nationwide as part of the company's commitment to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015. Target has teamed up with "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and its viewers to select 50 schools in need to receive a $100,000 grant.

The shopping season's biggest online holiday was more popular than ever yesterday as consumers rushed to the web for exclusive Cyber Monday deals. Online traffic was up 43 percent from last year, says content delivery network Akamai, and online sales were up 18 percent over Cyber Monday 2010 as of 9 p.m. ET, says IBM Smarter Commerce, a web performance analytics firm for 500 of the largest retail websites.