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Forty-six percent of social media followers feel shopping their retailers “reflects their personal lifestyles” vs. 21 percent of nonfollowers, according to a fourth quarter 2011 report from Motista. Among social media followers, 53 percent choose their retailers when they want to “indulge” themselves vs. 28 percent of nonfollowers. And 46 percent of social media followers feel their retailers add “joy and pleasure” to their lives vs. 20 percent of nonfollowers. Social media is an effective vehicle for building emotional connections, and stronger emotional connections lead to better business outcomes.

LOSING HER RELIGION: Jordan Daly, vice president of brand strategy, marketing and public relations at True Religion Apparel Co., has left the company after a little over a year on the job and reportedly is involved in talks with an investor group about a start-up venture. Daly, who served as Burberry’s vice president of p.r. for the Americas before joining the faithful at TR, declined to comment on her plans, and officials at the company didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Terry Lundgren, Macy's chairman, president and CEO, offers insight into retail trends and his company's business strategy. He also comments on the challenges faced by Ron Johnson, CEO of J.C. Penney.

Gucci has launched its own mobile point-of-sale program at select directly operated U.S., Europe and Asia stores. Gucci is leveraging technology to create a unique customer experience and to better serve clients when they're shopping in its stores. The pilot program launched at the Gucci flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City with additional trials at the Paramus, N.J. and Orlando, Fla. locations.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart is partnering with health services company Humana Inc. to offer a new prescription drug plan for insured employers and employees. Humana’s pharmacy benefits management subsidiary, Humana Pharmacy Solutions, will now offer the Walmart Rx Network. The partnership will also offer a new formulary, or approved drug list, called Rx4Value. Humana said the new formulary and the Walmart Rx Network guarantee up to 20% savings on employers’ average prescription price. The program is available to self-insured employers and will be available to fully insured employers later this year. “At Walmart, we’re committed to providing low-cost prescriptions

Amazon.com drew flak on Thursday after it was accused of and later confirmed inflating its Amazon Prime video catalog. The retailer acknowledged to Fast Company that it counts each individual TV episode as a show, leading to just one long-running TV series representing a large part of its catalog. A roster of 17,000 titles claimed by Amazon amounted to 1,875 titles, all but 150 of which were movies. Netflix, Amazon's main competitor in subscriptions, consciously avoids mentioning numbers partly out of honesty. 

(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Duckwall-ALCO Stores, Inc. , which specializes in providing a superior selection of essential products for everyday life in small-town America, today announced operating results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended January 29, 2012. Net sales from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 increased 1.0% to $137.5 million, compared to fourth quarter of fiscal 2011. Same-store sales, excluding fuel center sales, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 decreased 0.6% to $133.4 million, compared to fourth quarter of fiscal 2011. Net sales from continuing operations for fiscal year 2012 increased 4.4% to

St. Louis Business Journal by , Editor Editor - St. Louis Business Journal Email | Twitter | Facebook There’s a familiar face at Payless ShoeSource. Michele Bergerac, formerly of Bakers and Edison Footwear fame, is the new senior VP and general merchandise manager for Payless’ Women’s and Accessories business. She jumped from Soft Home Goods at the Marmaxx division of TJX where she was divisional VP, divisional merchandise manager since 2009. But, Bergerac could be stepping back to St. Louis. Collective Brands Inc. Collective Brands Inc. Latest from The Business Journals Follow this

Carmine Gallo, author of "The Apple Experience," explains the secrets behind Apple's retail success.

(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Omni Ventures, Inc. announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, PRVCY Couture, Inc., has appointed Mr. Robert DeSantis to the position of the Chairman of the Advisory Board charged with assisting the management in further development and implementation of its branding and marketing strategy. Robert DeSantis has spent most of his career in the field of marketing and brand development. In 1990, Mr. DeSantis identified the potential and mechanisms of Television Home Shopping founders HSN and QVC and formed SKLA INC., which generated over $150 million in sales by 1997. Robert DeSantis is currently President of