Content about computing

May 14, 2013
Affordable Care Act Compliance

By Liz Moughan, Kronos Incorporated

May 14, 2013
Gordmans names planning, allocation exec

Apparel and home-décor retailer Gordmans said Tuesday it has appointed Geoffrey Ayoub as senior VP planning, allocation and analysis.

May 9, 2013
Survey: Poor mobile experience leads to abandoned carts

Two-thirds (66%) of smartphone and tablet users have failed to complete an online transaction due to obstacles at checkout, according to a new survey from Jumio and Harris Interactive.

May 8, 2013
Spotlight On: Color Trends

May 8, 2013
Spotlight On: Energy Efficiency

May 8, 2013
Spotlight On: HVAC

May 8, 2013
Spotlight On: Real Estate

May 8, 2013
Spotlight On: Real Estate

May 8, 2013
Spotlight On: Sustainability

May 7, 2013
Finding a New Home

Social media giant Facebook is generating lots of buzz with the debut of its app launcher, Facebook Home, which turns existing Android smartphones into a Facebook-centric mobile device. (App launchers are applications that allow users to customize the home screen on their personal devices and add various other functionalities to it.)

May 7, 2013
Glimcher Gets Some Fresh Air

The Glimcher Realty Trust pipeline is filled with open-air centers. "We're seeing a lot of opportunity in the market and even our own portfolio with open-air right now," said Michael P. Glimcher, chairman and CEO, Columbus, Ohio-based Glimcher.

Over the last three years, Glimcher has acquired five properties. Four were open-air. Today, open-air centers account for about 20% of the company's 29 properties.

Recently, Glimcher shared his insights about open-air and enclosed centers with Chain Store Age contributing writer Michael Fickes.

May 7, 2013
Growing On All Fronts

Editor's Note: Chain Store Age's 24th annual survey of Fastest-Growing Managers measures new domestic and international third-party management and leasing contracts obtained during the preceding calendar year (2012).

Last year's numbers were such that we couldn't limit our annual Fastest-Growing third-party managers listing to a top five; a sixth was added because the contract totals were that close.

May 7, 2013
Keeping Track

The use of mobile devices by sales assistants and other associates presents retailers with new opportunities — and new challenges. Of the latter, one of the most critical has do with managing and maintaining the devices. According to one expert, the help desk can't be expected to do it all.

"Every device needs to be configured and supported and managed in some way," said Alan Dabbiere, chairman of AirWatch, a provider of mobile security and enterprise mobile management, in a presentation at the National Retail Federation Conference & Expo.

May 7, 2013
Making the Most of Facebook Home

According to Rick Chavie, VP of OmniCommerce at hybris Software in Atlanta, there are a few steps brands can take to make the most of Facebook Home.

"Give customers an incentive to activate push notifications through to Facebook," Chavie said. "You may not be able to get people to check your brand app regularly, but you indirectly feed it through Facebook Home."

Another way is to focus on time-of-day placement based on extrapolation of when customers tend to use your own app.

May 7, 2013
Next Steps For Retail Real Estate

Now, as the recession finally begins to lift, brick-and-mortar retailers are studying their real estate concepts and pondering what comes next.

Some will pare store counts, partially in response to online competition. Some will cut store square footage. Others are expanding store numbers and square footage. Some are expanding fulfillment center square footage. Some are not changing. Careful about that.

What are you doing? Is it what you should be doing?

What are retail real estate advisers and technology providers recommending?

May 7, 2013
Staples names Groupon and eBay-Pal exec as VP, global e-commerce

Staples announced that Faisal Masud has been appointed executive VP, global e-commerce, effective May 20.

May 7, 2013
That's Entertainment

Entertainment retail isn't what it used to be. Today, it really is entertaining.

Take Delray Marketplace in Delray Beach, Fla., a 258,000-sq.-ft. Main Street development filled with entertainment offerings, restaurants and retailers that give you something fun to do and something fun to buy.

"Our goal was to create an entertainment, dining and shopping experience," said Jason Samreny, VP leasing with Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group Trust, the project's developer.

May 7, 2013
Tips for Managing In-store Mobile Devices

Here are some recommendations from Alan Dabbiere, chairman of AirWatch, for in-store mobility management:

• For corporate-shared devices, retailers should take into consideration how to reconfigure devices when they transfer from one employee to another.

May 2, 2013
Canadian Tire Corp. opens cloud-computing center and digital hub

Canadian Tire Corp. announced that it will open the 'Canadian Tire Cloud Computing Centre' in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in the fall of 2013.

April 30, 2013
Who What Wear launches e-commerce site

Online fashion magazine Who What Wear is launching a new home décor e-commerce site, DomaineHome.com.

April 25, 2013
IBM: 20% online growth in Q1

First quarter online shopping in 2013 grew more than 20% over the same period last year, and more than five times in-store sales growth, helping drive up department store and home goods purchases, according to the IBM Online Retail Index.

April 24, 2013
Bloomberg: Apple to grow aggressively in China

A Wednesday report by Bloomberg said that Apple plans to double its number of retail stores in China over the next two years to help offset slowing growth worldwide.

April 24, 2013
Covering Retail IT from All the Angles

It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as the new senior editor of Chain Store Age, focused on covering all the news, trends and happenings in the constantly changing world of retail IT.

April 24, 2013
Survey: Cloud computing benefits retail bottom lines

A survey by open-cloud company Rackspace Hosting of 1,300 U.S. and U.K. companies revealed that retail in both countries has benefited from cloud computing via IT cost reductions, increased profits, improved disaster recovery and business agility, as well as strengthened out-of-office employee performance.

April 24, 2013
Survey: Cloud computing benefits retail bottom lines

A survey by open-cloud company Rackspace Hosting of 1,300 U.S. and U.K. companies revealed that retail in both countries has benefited from cloud computing via IT cost reductions, increased profits, improved disaster recovery and business agility, as well as strengthened out-of-office employee performance.

© 2013