  | December 21, 2010 | News for the retail industry |  |  | |
- Shoppers spend big on bargains during final shopping weekend
Shoppers turned out in steady streams during the last weekend before Christmas, snapping up bargains at chains such as Aeropostale, which marked down some items more than 50%, and Gap, which cut prices 30% across the board. Apparel merchants were more promotional than last year, with three-quarters of them meeting or exceeding their Black Friday discounts, said retail analyst Roxanne Meyer. The Wall Street Journal (12/21)       - Merchants plan to profit from "strategic discounting"
Retailers began the holiday shopping season discounting early and often, but most of the discounts appeared to be planned, part of a strategy aimed at boosting sales without cutting too deeply into profits, analysts say. More merchants are taking advantage of consumers' new willingness to pay full price for some things. Wal-Mart, for example, raised prices on toys and other merchandise after early season promotions. Bloomberg (12/20)  | 32% will buy from a competitor when faced with an out-of-stock. Be a hero. Save the sale. Sterling Always In Stock gives you access to inventory everywhere, which means the sale is saved and the safety of future business is secured. Visit hero.sterlingcommerce.com to demo our "Do the Math" calculator and you will see the value of attacking out-of-stocks. | - IKEA's Tampa store bucks the odds
IKEA's 18-month-old store in Tampa, Fla., has succeeded despite the recession that hit many home-furnishing retailers hard. Now the chain is adding features customized for the market, including a Cuban sandwich on the restaurant menu and furniture packages that fit smaller rooms common to homes in the area. St. Petersburg Times (Fla.) (12/21)  | |  | | | Multichannel Retailing 2010: Facts, Issues, and Opportunities for Growth.
Most retailers operate with a combination of stores, websites and other channels. But what is really being achieved with the extension of multichannel retailing, and which challenges and opportunities do you need to address now to stay competitive in 2011? Find out with this free, in-depth market research. | |  |  |  |
- Robots help online merchants fill holiday orders
Crate & Barrel, Gap, Staples and Gilt Groupe use robotic systems from Kiva to fulfill their orders, spurring debates about the cost and benefits of replacing human workers with machines. Amazon.com, which has automated some of the steps in its fulfillment centers and added a few robots through recent acquisitions, still depends largely on human workers. The Wall Street Journal (12/19) - How to take advantage of the tax package
The $858 billion tax package signed into law Friday by President Barack Obama has important implications for small-business owners, writes Barbara Weltman. She spells out five ways to get the most from the new law, including such areas as hiring, equipment purchasing and estate planning. AOL Small Business (12/17) - Why you should keep an employee wish list
Hollywood directors carry in their heads a list of actors they'd most like to work with, Seth Godin writes, and it's not a bad idea for business owners too. Keep a list of potential employees ready in case the opportunity arises, because the "worst time to go looking is when you need one, badly." Seth Godin's Blog (12/19)  | Supercharging the Online Channel
Getting to the right shoppers and then converting them to buyers in your online store is every retailer's key objective. Short purchase windows, impatient buyers, and new mandates around security are creating unprecedented demands on commerce sites. Learn how to attract customers to your site, optimize their online shopping experience and drive more transactions. Watch the webinar NOW! |
| NRF News |  | | | - The Container Store, Urban Outfitters execs to receive top honors at Retail's BIG Show
Executives from Nordstrom, The Container Store and Urban Outfitters will receive top honors at NRF's Annual Convention. Sir Phillip Green of Arcadia Group, which includes Topshop, Wallis and Burton, will also take home the prestigious International Retailer of the Year award. The recipients will accept their awards during the Annual Retail Industry Luncheon on Jan. 11 at Retail's BIG Show in New York City. Read more. - NRF SmartStat: Dec. 21, 2010
 Less than 5% of shoppers paid with checks this holiday season while a 40.9% have paid with check/debit cards. Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch - Holiday returns: an opportunity to connect with customers through every channel
Six out of 10 holiday shoppers are including gift receipts with gifts this year, so recipients can return or exchange their items hassle-free. What does this mean for retailers? Shop.org's Head of Research Fiona Swerdlow notes, "It's an opportunity to bring customers back into a store to convert a return into an exchange." In a recent blog post, Swerdlow shares a few tips to consider as retailers get ready for Dec. 26. Read more.
| Chain Restaurant News | | | | - Restaurants get creative with holiday gift cards
 Gift cards are in greater demand than ever this holiday season and restaurant chains are adding value with promotions such as free dessert at The Cheesecake Factory and $20 in free food with the purchase of $100 in Outback gift cards. Restaurant owners are getting creative as well, organizing gift-card swaps with rival eateries to obtain affordable gifts for their employees. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Restaurants (12/21) - Focus on franchising spurred turnaround at Denny's
Denny's made it back into the Top 10 of Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list for the first time since the 1980s. In the past three years, the chain has restructured with a focus on franchising and its moves persuaded top franchisees of Jack in the Box, Carl's Jr. and Long John Silver's to buy Denny's franchises. Entrepreneur (1/2011)  | |  | | The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
The Sears Experience: Generating Profit through In-Store Testing.
NRF Big Ideas Session — Monday, Jan 10, 10:45AM -11:15AM, Room 3D04. Join us to hear how Sears and 26 of the other Top 100 US retailers are using Test & Learn to improve profits and ROI of new programs in capital expenditure, pricing, marketing, new products, advertising, promotions, merchandising, and operations across brands. Click here to learn more and attend.
Interested in learning more about advertising in NRF SmartBrief? Contact Susan W. Kim at (202) 407-7877 or skim@smartbrief.com.  | |  | |  |
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