Retail Stores

Despite cautionary spending last year, retailers may have good reason to be optimistic in 2013: Consumers are trying more fashion retailers for the first time, and most are making purchases during those visits. According to a study by Market Force Information, a provider of customer intelligence solutions, four in 10 (39 percent) consumers surveyed reported trying a new fashion retailer over the past 90 days, a 22 percent gain from 2011 and a 179 percent increase from 2010, when just 14 percent of consumers said they'd tried a new retailer.

When it comes to paying with plastic at the cash register, you know the drill. A quick swipe, a signature and the contents of your shopping cart are yours. But sometimes the cashier asks for one more thing: "May I have your ZIP code, please?" So what's a credit card customer to do when a merchant asks for a ZIP code at the cash register? Two states have now declared the practice violates their privacy laws.

Interbrand's 2013 Best Retail Brands Report, which ranks the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands, as well as the leading store brands from around the world, was released today. Interbrand’s brand valuations are based on the firm’s analysis of the financial performance of a retailer, the role a brand plays in shoppers’ purchasing decisions and the competitive strength of a brand.

A new bicycle store in Las Vegas called Las Vegas Cyclery is taking green retailiing to the extreme. The store works like a power plant because of a $30,000 wind turbine outside the building and 208 solar panels on its roof. Other green touches include the “recycle center room,” where old tire tubes are collected for myriad uses while an energy power station juices up electric bicycles. There’s also outdoor parking for 50 bikes, a dirt trail that loops around the building and preferred parking spaces for energy-efficient cars like hybrids.

Cabela's begins a new chapter of omnichannel growth as it sets the focus for 2013 on investments including price optimization, SKU profitability and the many parts omnichannel fulfillment. In the next 12 months to 16 months, the retailer will deploy three different technology enhancements: the first being price optimization, second is around net SKU profitability and third is omnichannel fulfillment.

The Kate Spade flagship in Japan serves espresso to encourage customers to chat and linger. And every Saturday, it releases an article of clothing you won't find anywhere else. The goal is to make the store a weekly excursion for millennials who may otherwise be hooked on internet shopping. There's just one problem: Short-term analog experiences leave a long paper trail. Kate Spade was printing and shipping beautifully embossed signage every week. The expense was massive, and the efficiency was low. In short, it felt like a dated idea.

According to the National Retail Federation, retail sales beat estimates in February as consumers quickly adapted and adjusted their spending in response to an increase in payroll taxes and higher gasoline prices. February retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants), NRF reported, increased 0.7 percent seasonally adjusted from January and increased 0.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

Style Coalition revealed the Fashion 2.0 Award winners, those who, in the voting public's eye, are owning the online branding game. Barneys' creative director and man about town, Simon Doonan, was the keynote speaker, and a new categorie, "Best Pinterest," was announced. See who won that, as well as "Best Online Video," "Best Facebook," and "Best Twitter" after the jump.

There were so many interesting discussions to share from the recent Stream unconference, but the one that inspired me most was on the future of retail. Around 50 retailers and those passionate about the industry came together on the Phuket Club Med lawn to reflect for an hour on the enormous change our industry has experienced in the last 10 years, and how that rate of change will probably be very minor compared with the 10 years ahead of us. How can we as retailers prepare for and take advantage of this change?

It looks like Americans are ready to open up their wallets again. According to a new report from the Commerce Department, retail spending is up 1.1 percent from January and 4.6 percent from February 2012. That's the biggest rise in five months, according to Reuters, far better than the 0.5 percent boost economists had predicted. Paired with last month's positive jobs report, does this mean the U.S. economy is on the mend?