Macy's, Kohl's Lose as Amazon Wins

And the winner is?

Amazon.

Again and again and again.

Macy's just announced store closings and layoffs.  Sears is continuing to lose, huge, and Kohl's saw its stock drop as their holiday sales missed expectations (hopes).

Good piece by NBC News on this:

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/department-stores-are-paying-price-underestimating-amazon-n703596

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Industry observers blame online competition, as well as department store brands' own shortfalls in adapting to a fundamental shift in consumer behavior.

"For both retailers, the consistent themes of the shortfalls are weak traffic between Black Friday and Christmas," Goldman Sachs analyst Lindsay Drucker Mann wrote...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Kohl's Wallet Success

Kohl's is having some excellent success with their wallet as a new story details over on Mobile Commerce Daily:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/kohls-in-app-wallet-drives-30pc-of-mobile-traffic

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Kohl’s is bullish on mobile’s role for the upcoming holiday season, with 30 percent of its mobile traffic being driven by a new wallet feature in its application and plans to bring a new click-and-collect service to mobile.

During a conference call with analysts last week to discuss the retailer’s second quarter results, Kohl’s executives talked up the success of its new app, which has had more than 2 million downloads this year for a total of more than 8 million users.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Kohl's Engaging Through Mobile

Kohl's has been on a multi-year journey to become the best retailer in the world at the customer experience, through mobile.  Their app is definitely shaping up as a new piece writes about.

http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/kohl%E2%80%99s-seamlessly-engages-customers-enhanced-app

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Kohl’s “Greatness” Agenda is not named lightly. The enterprise-spanning strategy is designed to make the company America’s most engaging retailer by providing a convenient customer experience across all channels. Considering the ever-growing importance of the mobile channel as an omnichannel engagement tool, it is not surprising that Kohl’s is focusing on its mobile app as a key enabler of greatness.

“We approached the design of the new Kohl’s app with a family-first focus, with an emphasis on engaging customers where they are, not necessarily where we are, and providing a simple, easy buying experience for families,” explained Krista Berry, executive VP and chief digital officer of Kohl’s.

With mobile traffic now representing more than 50% of all digital traffic at Kohl’s, ensuring a smooth and seamless mobile experience for customers is more important than ever.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Gap, Kohl's and eBay in the News

That little show by the NRF is helping get some news out, and elsewhere as well.

First up is eBay with a really interesting omnichannel assistant offering:

http://www.wwd.com/media-news/digital/save-that-sale-ebay-unveils-platform-8105937

Very cool platform, and worth reading up on.

Next is Gap ramping up its mobile:

http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/gap-taps-mobile-to-mimic-flagship-store-experience-for-customers

Here is a snippet from that piece:

“We’ve just scratched the surface of what mobile can do for retail. Mobility is a big part of change in customer experience in stores.”

Finally is news from Kohl's on its mobile efforts:

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/19530.html

Here is a snippet from that piece:

“Not moving fast is far riskier than trying things out and failing in some and succeeding in others,” Mr. Lavu said. “Previously, we used to do a lot of big bang innovations.

“Test, learn, iterate again, and then continue to change.”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Macy's and Kohl's OmniChannel in the News

Two brief stories on Retail Information Systems caught my eye.

First is news of Macy's working with Google for direct product results through Google Search.

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-news/Macy-s-Launches-Google-Product-Search96371

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Beginning this month, Macy's shoppers can now Google search for an item on their phone and see what's in-stock at the closest Macy's location. The search will provide a product image with details such as color, size, price, store location information, and directions to the store and a link to the item on Macy's website. The platform works with Google's proximity marketing platform in an effort to drive sales in stores and online during the biggest shopping season of the year.

Next is news from Kohl's on how they are opening their supply chain for omnichannel needs:

http://risnews.edgl.com/retail-news/Kohl-s-Overhauls-Merchandising,-Inventory-and-Pricing-Systems96482

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Kohl’s is transforming many of its core retail operations to accommodate recent growth and ensure that both its store and online shopping experiences reflect the unique preferences of consumers, no matter where they live and shop.

Kohl’s has recently overhauled its core merchandising, inventory, and pricing operations with the launch of a new Oracle Retail Merchandise Operations Management solution, allowing the retailer to coordinate a unified system of record for inventory to better serve customers across channels, and to simplify its business user experience.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Best Reading of the Day - Entry 0047 Kohl's and MCX

The folks over at Mobile Commerce Daily do a great job capturing stories that have an interest to me in my new role.  The latest looks at the work Kohl's is doing to prepare for the holidays and what that is shaping up to look like in their iPhone app.


kohls-lays-groundwork-for-mobile-payments-with-holiday-investments

Here is a snippet from the article:

Kohl’s has unveiled its holiday marketing plan that centers around the retailer’s iPhone application, possibly hinting at a larger mobile payments plan from the retailer in the future.

...

Paving the way for mobile paymentsKohl’s is one of more than 30 retailers working with MCX to roll out mobile payments at point-of-sale systems (see story).

Some expect MCX to roll out this quarter in time for the holidays, and the mobile news from Kohl’s may give marketers a glimpse of what to expect from the service.

Very interesting perspective, outside looking in by the analyst at Mobile Commerce Daily.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant