Technology

In retail, innovation is the name of the game. Increasingly, retailers are staying ahead through unique in-store experiences that inspire shoppers through social lifestyles. Take a look at STORY, a Manhattan retailer that continually changes everything in-store, from products to fittings to events based upon different themes like "Love" or "Made in America." It's described as a monthly magazine, meets art gallery, meets retailer concept. Taking the in-store experience to a whole new level, Ikea recently hosted a "one night only" sleepover for shoppers at its store near Sydney.

I'm at the Shop.org Annual Summit in Seattle and having a great time catching up with old friends and colleagues, meeting new contacts, and learning about new digital marketing strategies and technologies. Also, as usual, as I walk through the exhibit hall I'm being greeted by smiling vendors, eager to share with me information about their latest and greatest shiny new objects. For the most part, I actually enjoy talking with vendors and learning about their wares. But I have noticed many folks — retailers, probably — with their badges turned the other way or tucked into their jackets, and I know why: they don’t want to be singled out and aggressively sold to by vendors.

Urban Outfitters Inc.'s Anthropologie chain, known for its bohemian-chic housewares and apparel, will supersize some stores to entice shoppers with a wider array of lifestyle gear. The company aims to open 25 to 50 Anthropologie stores in the next five years that will be three times larger than current locations, which average about 7,100 square feet. Urban Outfitters will also test the larger format for its namesake and Free People chains, the Philadelphia-based company said this week. Anthropologie, striving to become a broader lifestyle brand, will increase its home goods, wedding, beauty and intimates offerings at the larger stores.

The Information published a report yesterday with details about a new startup that former Apple Retail Senior Vice President and J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson is building. The report shares that Johnson is launching a new delivery service focused on tech products following his brief run as CEO of J.C. Penney. 

Haggar Clothing Co. is beefing up its digital operation with an emphasis on mobile. The Dallas-based men's apparel maker created a new position, chief digital officer, and hired Eve Richey last week to fill the post. She's coming to Haggar from shoe company Toms, where she was vice president for global digital marketing. As a supplier to major U.S. chains including Kohl's, J.C. Penney, Macy's, Target, Sears, Belk and Amazon.com, Haggar is seeing more of its sales move online at those stores and on its own direct-to-consumer business.

Home Depot said Thursday that a data breach that lasted for months at its stores in the U.S. and Canada affected 56 million debit and credit cards, far more than a pre-Christmas 2013 attack on Target customers. The size of the theft at Home Depot trails only that of TJX Companies’ breach of 90 million records in 2007. Target's breach compromised 40 million credit and debit cards. Home Depot, the nation's largest home improvement retailer, said that the malware used in the data breach that took place between April and September has been eliminated. 

Customers are driven by the need for instant gratification more than ever, expecting boundless product options at their fingertips and 24-hour (or less) delivery models. To compete with bellwethers like Amazon.com and even Google, companies are exchanging traditional distribution strategies for something more flexible, focusing less on labor and production and more on inventory and proximity to consumer marketplaces. Retailers and distributors, however, cannot make these adjustments in isolation. In order to successfully transform their sales and operations, organizations must modify their back-office tax and accounting practices accordingly.

In an alternate universe, RadioShack would rule the world, supplying all of your electronics needs from computers to cellphones, and even making them. But in this world, RadioShack is almost bankrupt, having missed almost every opportunity to be the center of the technology revolution. Last week, the electronics retailer announced its latest quarterly loss — $119.4 million — and said that it might not have enough capital to continue as a "going concern." The announcement was a surprise to no one. RadioShack, despite some terrific marketing, has been in turnaround mode for almost two decades. 

Investors are giving a nod of approval to news Monday that RadioShack's chief financial officer has stepped down amid flagging sales. However, one analyst has an even more drastic solution to the consumer electronic chain's turnaround woes: a takeover by Amazon.com. 

eBay sellers woke up to more bad news on Sunday morning when they discovered the latest outage hitting eBay's global marketplaces. Buyers and sellers were unable to log in to their accounts all morning, and many were unable to even access the eBay homepage. Those trying to reach eBay customer service for assistance found that was also down. eBay experienced a similar outage on Sept. 3, and it experienced another outage in Europe last month. In early August, eBay denied there had been an outage in July after widespread accessibility issues, calling it a "minor technical issue."