E-Commerce

Retail has a reputation of being a bit behind other industries in mobile technology, but Lowe's is one of the exceptions. Its MyLowe's mobile app has been one of the highlights, called out by experts as one of the more exemplary tools available for retail consumers. Sean Bartlett, director of mobile strategy and platforms for Lowe's, spoke with eMarketer's Christine Bittar about the attributes of MyLowe's and its relevance in the home improvement category.

Neiman Marcus Group is planning invest in a $100 million project intended to increase its outreach and drive sales across retail channels including brick-and-mortar stores, mobile and online, the company said last week. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the project will be a multiyear initiative to develop a merchandising platform across all brands and channels. The development of the platform is expected to begin during fiscal 2014 and targeted for implementation in fiscal 2016.

New York – Halston is launching its digital flagship store in more than 80 countries today, including the U.S., and Canada. The vertical e-commerce site will feature Halston Heritage apparel and...

Amazon.com unveiled a new section within its giant catalog on Thursday, a Luxury Beauty Store. There, shoppers can find products from 24 prestige brands, including Nars, Burberry and nail polish queen Deborah Lippman. The store carries luxury brands, but it doesn't look like luxury. It looks exactly like the rest of Amazon's product catalog, although thumbnail images are larger. Editorial content from Amazon's beauty editors and others from the brands themselves sweeten the deal.

There are misconceptions about every industry, and within retail, there are plenty about email marketing. But if we're going to make any kind of progression in the industry, it's important to debunk these mistaken beliefs. Below are my deconstructions of the five most common myths surrounding email marketing today:

It's a scenario some of us are all too familiar with: It's a little over a week before Christmas and you haven't purchased two-thirds of your gifts for family and friends. Frantic, you immediately go online, search for gifts that come with overnight shipping, quickly fill out the information needed and then cross your fingers it gets to the recipient on time. Smartgift is aiming to rescue these types of shoppers going forward. 

Unless you have a content-first website like The New York Times or a juggernaut of a blog like TechCrunch, people don't come to your site for content. Don't misread that: some of your visitors may well consume some of your content, but most of them don't visit your website with the intention of reading. Nielsen indicates that users have time for about 20 percent of the content on your page, which affirms that the majority of users don't read. Rather, they scan.

Last week, former flash-sale site Fab.com laid off an additional 101 workers in an attempt to shed its former deal-oriented identity and to help position itself on the path to profitability. It's clear that consumers are tiring of the flash-sale model because what used to feel special no longer does and the sales these sites offer are starting to feel fishy. As one Gawker commenter points out, plenty of "deals" are nothing of the sort. 

Americans will be hankering to live more like the Jetsons, snatching up everyday consumer products that talk back and tell users what they need to know (or what they think they need to know). At the same time, retailers will operate more and more like Big Brother, sending shoppers more targeted emails that reflect stores’ increasingly sophisticated monitoring of buying patterns and behavior. Those are two of the five major digital trends that will drive the holiday shopping experience this year, said Kyle Lacy, senior manager of content marketing and research for ExactTarget, a provider of digital marketing software solutions.

Best Buy hasn't had a whole lot to be happy about in recent memory. In 2012, the company's stock dropped to its lowest price in nine years, and profits seemed to have evaporated. Now, Best Buy has turned its frown upside down through a series of updates to its business plan and renovating its antiquated e-commerce presence. Best Buy revealed its new rewards program last month, and for many customers, the initiative had a familiar ring. "My Best Buy" sounds a lot like "My Macy's" or "My Lowe's."