Merchandising

Some things never change: Leading up to Black Friday, retailers are in a frenzy to capture wallet share among consumers shopping online. However, there are a number of new trends emerging as we head into Black Friday, including surgical shopping, social shopping and the return of luxury goods to shopping carts.

One of the greatest benefits of item-level tagging for retailers is perpetual inventory management. With the increased visibility into inventory afforded by tagging, retailers have greater efficiency and accuracy in order processing based on an increased knowledge of what's in stock.

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony finally broke the news that they've partnered with Kohl's Department Stores to launch a contemporary lifestyle brand for the retail giant.

Fifty-nine percent of U.K. shoppers haven't decided on the brand they'll purchase before researching or buying a product online. Consumers are also beginning to take the web with them when they shop, accessing price comparison sites, social networks and product reviews via their mobile phones — all of which are key factors in helping them to make decisions on which brand to purchase.

Talbots will use the Oracle Retail Planning and Optimization suite of applications to help identify customer preferences and localize its merchandise offerings based on buying patterns, size profiles and other key attributes.

There is a lot of consumer excitement around new tech products this holiday season. According to our latest research, 56 percent of shoppers are planning to buy computer related gifts, 50 percent plan to purchase electronics and 13 percent of them plan to purchase electronics online.

Chocri is part of a fast-growing, web-based retail movement called “mass customization.” Consumers can now design their own foods, dress shirts, greeting cards and floral bouquets for relatively affordable prices — courtesy of a flock of eager entrepreneurs in New York City, a center of the trend.

If there's a halo product for retail this holiday season, it's Steve Jobs' iPad, the fastest-selling new product in Apple's history.

By using targeted merchandising, online retailers can dramatically increase the likelihood of increasing sales, all while pleasing their customers with products that have been preselected just for them.

With retail sales expected to rise modestly this holiday season, many experts are keeping a close eye on gift cards, wondering just how card-weary people are.