Retail
Record online sales give US holiday shopping season a boost
A recent report by Mastercard showed that U.S. shoppers spent more online during this year’s holiday shopping season and that e-commerce sales hit a record high. The holiday shopping season can account for up to 40 percent of annual sales for retailers. This year e-commerce sales made up 14.6 percent of total retail, rising 18.8 percent from the 2018 period, according to Mastercard. This all comes despite Thanksgiving – the traditional start of the U.S. holiday shopping period – being on Nov. 28, a week later than last year’s Nov. 22, leaving retailers with six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Marshalls Launches Online Store
Marshalls recently unveiled its e-commerce website, Marshalls.com. According to a company release, the site will have “an ever-changing, fresh mix of merchandise from the brands shoppers crave, all at amazing prices.” The site will have similar categories to the ones found in stores and its own assortment of merchandise. Users also will have access to interactive features, including “Swipe to Shop,” Curated Shops and Influencer + Shopper Finds. "We are thrilled to introduce Marshalls.com, which allows customers to shop Marshalls anytime," Mark DeOliveira, Executive Vice President, TJX Digital US, said in the release.
Tractor Supply Company Promotes Letitia Webster to Senior Vice President of Ecommerce
Tractor Supply Company recently announced the promotion of Letitia Webster to Senior Vice President of Ecommerce. Webster, who has been with the company since 2014, will lead the Ecommerce, Omni Channel and Master Data Management business functions. She had been the Vice President of Omni Channel since March 2015. “Over the past five years, Letitia has been instrumental in growing our ecommerce business and driving our ONETractor strategy,” Rob Mills, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology, Digital Commerce and Strategy Officer, said in a company release. “Thanks to her leadership over initiatives such as Buy Online Pickup in Store, online returns and the Stockyard in-store kiosks, we have been able to provide a more seamless shopping experience for our customers with positive results.”
Rewards / Loyalty Programs
Exchange your unwanted gift cards for United miles
If you have gift cards you are not sure what you are going to do with, United has a potential solution. You can trade them in for United Mileage Plus miles through United’s Gift Card Exchange. United lists more than 100 merchant gift cards that are accepted, such as Best Buy, DSW, Home Depot, Kohls, Macys, Sears, Starbucks and Walmart.
Corporate Social Responsibility
HairClub Celebrates Season Of Giving By Helping Seniors In Need
HairClub spread some holiday cheer to North America's lonely and low-income seniors, partnering with United Way through the giving plan Santa for Seniors. One hundred HairClub centers throughout the United States and Canada collected new items for seniors in their communities, included movies, puzzles, books, bathrobes, board games, slippers and more. “Giving back to the community is in HairClub's DNA; it's at the core of our culture," Mike Nassar, HairClub's President and CEO, said in a company release. "I can't think of many better ways to celebrate the season of giving than to participate in such a worthy cause as bringing joy to our seniors. We're honored to partner with United Way to help seniors in need.”