E-commerce sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving hit $2.04 billion, up 17 percent compared to a year ago, according to analytics firm comScore, making it the biggest online shopping day ever, and the first to surpass $2 billion in sales. Not surprisingly, Walmart says that Cyber Monday was the biggest online day in its history […]
Tag: technology
Posted in, Independent Store News, National, Southeast
Alliance Retail Group Grows To More Than 600 Stores
The number of independent supermarkets served by Alliance Retail Group (ARG) now totals more than 600, the Tennessee-based group said this week. These stores represent the largest independent self-negotiating group in the country with locations in 19 states and a combined retail volume of more than $3.5 billion. “With the opening of our office in […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, Executive News, National
Fleet Advantage Adds Chief Technology Officer To Executive Team
Fleet Advantage, a leading innovator in truck fleet business analytics, equipment financing and lifecycle cost management, has named industry and IT veteran James C. Griffin Jr. its chief technology officer. Griffin will play an integral role in advancing Fleet Advantage’s overall IT strategy and will provide senior leadership and oversight of the company’s technology infrastructure, […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National, Online Grocery Technology
FMI Study Scans Perceptions Among Grocery App Users
A new study finds that the more active a shopper is with social media, the less likely it is that shopper will use a grocery retailer’s app in a store. The study, from the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Saint Joseph’s University, also finds that shoppers with large grocery expenditures were most active in utilization […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, Southeast, Store News
Bi-Lo, Harveys And Winn-Dixie Stores Now Accepting Apple Pay
Bi-Lo Holdings, parent company of Bi-Lo, Harveys and Winn-Dixie, is now accepting Apple Pay at all of its stores across the Southeast. “Customers want a shopping experience that is convenient, easy and secure, which is why we’re so pleased to announce support for Apple Pay,” said Bert DuMars, VP of digital marketing at Bi-Lo Holdings. […]
Posted in, National, Store News
FMI Board Calls On Congress To Act On Marketplace Fairness Legislation
Forty-six members of the Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) board of directors, representing the entire breadth of the food wholesale and retail industry, have called on the U.S. Congress to complete work on e-fairness legislation this year. The letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) says, “We urge […]
Posted in, C-Store News, Northeast
Cumberland Farms Now Accepting Apple Pay At All Retail Locations
Cumberland Farms, a leading convenience and gasoline retailer headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts, is now accepting mobile payments via Apple Pay at all of its nearly 600 retail locations across the Northeast and Florida. Apple Pay enables customers to pay for goods by tapping their iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3 on Cumberland’s […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, National, Southeast
Fleet Advantage’s Growth Continues, Adds To Executive Team
Fleet Advantage, a leading innovator in truck fleet business analytics, equipment financing and lifecycle cost management, continues to grow its clean diesel initiative, highlighted by improvements in key business metrics, on-boarding of new clients, additional business from existing clients, new Class-8 orders in excess of 1,800 tractors and lease origination volume exceeding $200 million for […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National, Produce News, Southwest
NatureSweet Tomatoes Sponsoring Santa Selfie Hashtag Contest
NatureSweet Tomatoes wants to spread holiday cheer by giving customers a chance to win some extra spending money. Today through Dec. 5 customers are encouraged to find the NatureSweet Tomatoes displays that feature Santa Timmy in retail and grocery stores. Snap a selfie with the little tomato in a Santa hat, then upload and share […]
Posted in, Industry News, National
Holiday Shopping Spend Forecasted To Be Down As Shoppers Remain Cautious
The 2014 holiday shopping season will be characterized by cautious spending, while economic realities bifurcate the American holiday shopper. These are two of the 10 big trends that are expected to drive the 2014 holiday shopping season, according to a new report from PwC US and Strategy&, titled “2014 Holiday Outlook: Top trends, consumer behaviors […]
Posted in, Grocery News, Industry News, National
Study Reveals Consumers Actually Enjoy Grocery Shopping
While American consumers have traditionally viewed grocery shopping as a mundane chore, new research from Acosta Sales & Marketing, a leading full-service sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry, reveals most shoppers now like to grocery shop. According to Acosta’s latest “The Why? Behind the Buy” report released last week, 54 percent […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, Equipment & Technology, National, Northeast, Online Grocery Technology
Peapod Turns 25 This Year, Celebrates Many Firsts
In 1989, brothers Thomas and Andrew Parkinson were developing a new way to shop. With DOS programming software, dial-up modems and floppy disks, they created Peapod.com, and shopping from a computer for home-delivered goods was born. Peapod was the first online grocery service to offer customers first in Chicago and later in 23 other U.S. […]
Posted in, Midwest, National, Online Grocery Technology, Store News
Supervalu Reports Another Data Security Breach
Following a reported data breach in mid-August, Supervalu on Monday said that it has discovered what it believes to be another breach. The Minnesota-based company says it believes an intruder, between late August and early September, installed malware into the portion of its computer network that processes payment card transactions at some of its Shop […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, National
New Online Marketplace Launched To Advance Retail Industry Innovation
The Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART) and the National Grocers Association (NGA) today unveiled a new online platform for the supermarket industry. The CART marketplace at advancingretail.org is designed to help the supermarket sector keep pace with technology innovation that is rapidly transforming the way people shop. “Retailers and brand manufacturers are experiencing […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, Southwest
Whole Foods Market Among First Merchants To Integrate With Apple Pay
Whole Foods Market is among the first retailers participating in Apple Pay, described as “an easy, secure and private way” to make purchases from an iPhone. With Apple Pay, instead of using an actual credit or debit card number, a unique device account number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in a dedicated chip in […]
Posted in, National
Report: Shoppers Primarily Interact With Brands Via Smartphones, Tablets
Online shopping has reached a mobile tipping point. For the first time ever, according to Branding Brand’s Mobile Commerce Index report, the majority of consumers are visiting retail websites on smartphones and tablets rather than on traditional desktop and laptop computers. In August, mobile devices generated 51 percent of all online retail visits, the majority of […]
Posted in, National, Store News
Whole Foods, Instacart Partner For One-Hour Delivery Across 15 Cities
Whole Foods Market and one-hour grocery delivery service Instacart have formed a new partnership that enables customers to have Whole Foods Market products delivered in as little as one hour. Customers will soon also have the convenient option to place orders via Instacart and pick up their order at a local participating Whole Foods Market […]
Posted in, Suppliers
Report: CPG Companies Must Plan For A Digital Future
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies need to plan for a “1-5-10” market in the U.S. during the next five years, in which digital’s current 1 percent penetration will likely expand to 5 percent and could accelerate to as much as 10 percent in short order, according to a new report, “The Digital Future: A Game […]
Posted in, Southeast, Store News
Duval County, Fla., Publix Renovations Near $10M
Publix Super Markets continues its pursuit of renovating its Duval County, Fla., grocery stores. The latest under review for remodeling is in Bartram Park at 13820 Old St. Augustine Rd., the Jacksonville Daily Record reports. McIntyre Elwell & Strammer General Contractors is the contractor for the proposed $575,000 construction project of the 44,840-s.f. store. The […]
Posted in, Albertsons, Corporate Store News, Southwest
The United Family Expands Rewards Program To West Texas
The United Family has expanded its rewards program to West Texas at its United Supermarkets, Market Street, Albertsons Market, Amigos and United Express locations. The free program launched at all seven Dallas/Fort Worth Market Street locations in April. Shoppers who join the program will receive product recommendations, digital coupons and product discounts that are individually […]