Online retailing is big business, and growing. As virtual storefronts become major revenue generators, many retailers are realizing the value of free shipping, which has the potential to greatly increase sales. Consider these seven promotional strategies, good for consumers and investors.
Firecracker remnants may still dot the nation's sidewalks, but retail forecasters are already talking about back-to-school shopping season -- and they're happy to do so. The improved economic environment is setting the stage for sales gains in everything from tablet computers to bold-colored jeans.
Retailers got some unexpected love from shoppers in the form of strong February sales. But whether consumers repeat the feat in spring could depend on gasoline prices and how they feel about their finances. So, March could be tough.
Retailers are getting back to business after the recession and showing stronger earnings, making them attractive targets for private equity investors -- and each other.
Many of America's best-known retailers, including Walmart, Home Depot and JCPenney, will be stepping into the earnings spotlight this week. Their reports come on the heels of disappointing January retail sales numbers from the Commerce Department.
Dell will highlight a handful of tech company results this week. Also reporting earnings will be food giants Smucker and Campbell Soup, also Marriott and other members of the lodging and hospitality industry, and the first of a long string of results from retailers.
U.S. shoppers piled up the presents under their Christmas trees, but retailers were still a bit disappointed. The Commerce Department's official tally shows what many suspected: Consumers did most of their holiday buying early this year.
Amazon.com, Kohl's and Nordstrom rank among the top 10 companies for customer service, according to a shopper survey released by the National Retail Federation on Tuesday. Online electronics retailer Newegg made the list this year, while Coldwater Creek and HSN fell off.
Some merchants adjusted quickly to the "new normal" of penny-pinching shoppers, but others are still struggling with shrinking consumer budgets or headwinds they were fighting before the bottom fell out. Here's a look at the two groups that are going in two different directions.
Abercrombie & Fitch's idealized (and expensive) version of perpetual youth has worn thin among cash-strapped consumers, threatening the company's sales, stock price, and prospects.
The earnings spotlight falls on retailers this week, and expectations are high for many of them, including Abercrombie & Fitch and Dollar Tree, which has benefited from the recession and slow recovery.
