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Over 200 branded manufacturers and 1,300 retailers answered surveys to determine the effectiveness of retail-integrated e-commerce, and the results are clear: 73 percent of the brands surveyed stated that retail-integrated e-commerce increased their overall sales — both online and in-store.

AngiesList is working on an e-commerce storefront service to help local businesses reach consumers who are looking for ratings of service providers. Purchasing directly on AngiesList makes customers feel more secure, according to a marketing video the company produced — and it gives businesses an opportunity to upsell additional services to the customer. 

Zumiez announced that it's signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire Blue Tomato, a European action sports retailer based in Austria. The total purchase price will be 59.5 million EUR. In addition to the purchase price, the agreement provides for an additional 22.1 million EUR of contingent future payments based upon achieving certain performance objectives related to growth over the next three years. The acquisition, which will be funded by Zumiez's existing cash balances, is projected to close prior to the end of the second quarter of 2012. 

New York -- Barnes & Noble reported Tuesday that it narrowed its loss for the quarter ended April 28 to $57.6 million, compared with a loss of $59.4 million in the year-ago fourth quarter. Revenue was essentially flat at $1.38 billion, missing Wall Street’s expected $1.48 billion in revenue. Retail sales rose 5% to $1.05 billion and Nook sales fell 11% to $164 million, as the company took back its Nook Simple Touch e-reader from retailers to make room for new inventory. Same-store sales increased 4.5%. “We grew our business in 2012 while continuing to make the necessary investments

/PRNewswire/ -- Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, today announced its Retail Services business has agreed to acquire the private label credit card portfolio of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT). As previously announced, Alliance Data will also manage the retailer's private label credit card program. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. operates 272 stores in 23 states across the Northeast, Midwest, and upper Great Plains, under the nameplates of: Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, Younkers, and Parisian (in the Detroit area). A broad assortment of national-

According to a story published by ABC News, a group of 25 women have filed a lawsuit against Sears and a former maintenance worker who allegedly hid cameras in dressing rooms and restrooms at a store in North Hollywood, Calif., between 2009 and April of this year. The suspect, a former maintenance employee who worked at Sears for seven years, was arrested on April 12. The group suing Sears is comprised of 16 employees and nine store customers. They claim Sears knew or should have known the cameras had been installed and are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Given that an increasing number of our clients are eyeing Japan’s e-commerce market, I thought it would be interesting to share some observations from my trip there. Local business perception is that the economy is struggling and will persist to struggle, but robust activity on the street and our most recent Asia Pacific Forecast belie that. There's clearly potential for growth in the market, but changes need to be made before that can happen. Based on my observations, the key inhibitors are:

Within the past year, Fab.com has hit a lot of milestones: 1.8 million products sold; 4.75 million members and now three acquisitions. The acquisition announced today on the company’s blog is Llustre, a copycat of Fab.com in the U.K. that's identically focused on selling home decor, apparel and other items from independent designers. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Fab.com previously purchased Casacanda in Germany and Fashionstake in the U.S. to launch its clothing vertical.

Walgreens said it will spend $6.7 billion to buy a stake in health and beauty retailer Alliance Boots, the Kansas City Star reports. The Deerfield, Ill.-based drugstore chain plans to spend about $4 billion in cash and more than 83 million shares for a 45 percent ownership stake in the Swiss company. Alliance Boots operates more than 3,300 retail stores in 11 countries. Walgreens has the option to purchase the rest of Alliance Boots in about three years in a deal valued at about $9.5 billion.