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According to a recent study from Mashable, tablet shopping is on the rise. Sixty-five percent of tablet users report shopping on their devices at least two to three times monthly (going up to twice a week). This growth is promising for retail marketers wishing to capitalize on this trend. Tablet shoppers are generally a wealthier, more educated population. 

Matthews, N.C.-based Family Dollar is on track to open 450 to 500 new stores while closing 60 to 80 stores this year. During the first three quarters of fiscal 2012, the retailer opened 287 new stores, closed 43 stores and renovated, relocated or expanded 583 stores. Family Dollar currently operates more than 7,100 stores in 45 states. 

After 9/11, political leaders and commentators had a suggestion to boost American spirits and fuel patriotism: Go shopping. This Fourth of July, more Americans are doing the opposite: barbecuing instead of buying. A fifth of Americans (21 percent) said they don't plan to celebrate Independence Day and those who are plan to spend less than last year, according to a survey released Sunday of a little more than 1,000 people by Visa.

Texas joined eight other states in taking legislative action by requiring online-only retailers, notably Amazon.com, to collect state sales tax. Online retailers began collecting sales tax in Texas on July 1. “A true free market is devoid of government preferences and special treatment," said Sandy Kennedy, president, Retail Industry Leaders Association. "Texas has made a powerful statement that it's time to end special treatment for online retailers and close the sales-tax loophole that gives companies like Amazon an artificial leg up on Main Street retailers." 

As part of the company's Smarter Commerce marketing effort, IBM is investigating the possibility of using augmented reality (AR) to help retailers provide more product information to their customers, as well as to gather more information about customers. The company's research labs have designed a prototype of a mobile application that can be used by store goers to identify products and retrieve more information about potential products. The company is testing it now with a number of retailers.

It's an honor that retail would probably just as soon be bestowed on another industry: Retail was 2011's worst-performing industry in website security, with retail sites suffering an average of 121 serious vulnerabilities each, according to the 12th annual Website Security Statistics Report from WhiteHat Security, released last month. Retail's poor performance is particularly distressing given that across all industries, serious vulnerabilities dropped dramatically in 2011 – from 230 per site in 2010 to just 79 last year. WhiteHat examines over 7,000 websites across 500 organizations to identify "windows of exposure," including serious site vulnerabilities, the length of time

DDI has been heralding the latest retail store design ideas since 1988 and has become a trusted source for all things retail. When DDI first appeared 20 years ago, the market was right for a magazine that focused on the retail environment. DDI has grown to become the retail design resource for store design concepts and a trusted guide to retail design ideas. DDI carefully chronicles the changes and focuses on the things that generate a buzz the world over in the retail industry.

Dick's Sporting Goods has released 2012 Football, a digital publishing suite app for the iPad that's basically a retail catalog selling football cleats, equipment and apparel, according to Adobe.com's blog. It's designed to ease the gear research and purchasing process for the brand's football customers. For example, interactive photos of gear highlight helpful product attributes for the customer, while in-app videos demonstrate how they work. Combining these interactive features with the immersive experience of a catalog app, Dick's Sporting Goods is able to showcase products in the context of their environment and inspire consumers to buy, said the blog.

Union, N.J. -- Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. announced that its tender offer for the outstanding shares of common stock of Cost Plus was successful. The company said Friday that about 20.8 million shares representing about 92% of Cost Plus' outstanding stock were tendered. The company currently has approximately 22.5 million outstanding shares, according to FactSet. Cost Plus will become a Bed Bath & Beyond subsidiary and will stop trading on the Nasdaq the first business day after the deal closes. Bed Bath & Beyond announced its $495 million acquisition of Cost Plus in May.