Sutherland insights retail news flash jan 31, 2014

RETAIL NEWS FLASH January 31, 2014

Table of Contents Sales & Marketing ................................................................................................................. 3 Finance ................................................................................................................................. 7 Technology .......................................................................................................................... 11 Strategy .............................................................................................................................. 15

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Sales & Marketing Facebook adds 'shop now' button for in-feed shopping January 30, 2014 | Fierce Retail http://www.fierceretail.com/story/facebook-adds-shop-now-button-feed-shopping/2014-01-30 Retailers who utilize Facebook's (NASDAQ: FB) page post ads will now be able to add a call to action button, such as "shop now," directly onto the post seen in users' feeds. Facebook rolled out the new buttons yesterday as an update to its Custom Audiences feature which launched in October.

Here's how it works: Retailers who sign up install the Facebook remarketing pixel on their website, or the Facebook or third-party SDK in their mobile app. The retailer can then build Custom Audiences based on the actions people take while visiting their site or mobile app. The business can then deliver Facebook ads to users based on these actions. The ads show up in Facebook feeds as "Suggested posts."

Now, instead of the usual "like" and "share" features, the ads will have buttons in the lower right side of the box that can be customized by the retailer or business to read "shop now," "sign up," "learn more," "book now" or "download."

The Custom Audiences feature works with all of Facebook's ad formats, placements and targeting capabilities. For retailers specifically, Facebook says it hopes the new features will provide companies with broader solutions to reach people across devices and drive consumers to ecommerce sites.

A retail mobile app could build retargeting campaigns by installing the Facebook or third-party SDK in their mobile app and target people on mobile or desktop, encouraging them to come back and purchase the items left in their shopping cart, according to Facebook.

This is the second Facebook development in recent months specifically designed for retailers. In November, Facebook doubled the number of partner categories in order to give marketers more options to tailor their ads using additional categories.

POUNDLAND co-Founder poised to expand online January 27, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87569 UK value-hunters may soon be able to browse for bargains at home. Poundland’s co-Founder Steve Smith is set to launch his own fixed-price e-commerce website – poundshop.com -within the next three to six months, reports Retail Week. The site will have a minimum order value of approximately GBP20 (USD32.77) plus delivery fees of around GBP3 (USD4.92). Smith is said to be in talks about signing a lease on a distribution centre in the English Midlands and is also looking into the feasibility of launching a click & collect scheme via partnerships with other retailers.

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As the UK’s first such site, it is difficult to pass a definitive opinion as to the likelihood of its success.

However, Planet Retail certainly has its reservations, given the low price point of pound shop products and hesitation from fixed-price discounters 99p Stores and Poundland to attempt their own online launch. A minimum order value and delivery charge is clearly necessary to cover costs, but could this perhaps act as a deterrent to customers who wouldn’t typically spend such amounts in fixed-price discount physical shops?

This news has been revised in order to clarify any confusion which may have suggested Poundland itself was behind the launch of the website.

Dramatic discounting from WEIS MARKETS January 24, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87552 Pennsylvania-based Weis Markets has introduced new pricing schemes, reports Supermarket News.

These include an offer to double a competitor’s price difference on selected items carrying Weis’ Lowest Price Guarantee label.

This is part of a program named Three More Ways to Save, under which four items each week will receive the Lowest Price Guarantee tag. The offer is available to Weis Shoppers Club cardholders.

Weis has also lowered prices on more than 1,000 SKUs and is maintaining its 90-day price freeze discounts on additional items.

Last year was perhaps not one of the best for regional grocer Weis. November’s Q3 results saw net income fall by almost 32% while September saw the resignation of President & CEO David Hepfinger to pursue other interests. The chain brought in its 11th round of price freezes on 1,300 items in July and the further extension of this scheme is among the latest announcements.

It will be interesting to see what the full-year results, due in March, may bring. Weis announced USD135 million of investment in March 2013, with 37 major projects targeted, including upgrades of supply chain and IT infrastructure. On these, it will be especially instructive to see what progress has been made on e-commerce, which has had only a limited roll-out so far. The latest pricing schemes suggest Weis is keen to make of its Shoppers Club card scheme, so observers will be looking for additional signs of enhanced synergies between its digital and physical store operations.

TESCO showcases UK online reach January 22, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87513 In a move perhaps more motivated by publicity than profit, Tesco has launched grocery home delivery on the Isle of Lewis. Fulfilment will be from the Tesco in Stornoway, which is closer to Iceland than London and will create 29 new jobs. Lewis, an island in the Hebrides off Scotland’s west coast, is among the UK’s most remote communities. Deliveries will run from Tuesday-Saturday from

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9am-11pm. Tesco is also planning to launch grocery click & collect services on the nearby Isle of Skye.

Since launching in 1998, Tesco.com has delivered 170 million grocery orders around the UK. Online grocery shopping continues to rise in popularity, with the take-up of smartphones rapidly accelerating the trend. Over Christmas, Tesco customers placed over three million online grocery orders, up 11% on last year, with one-third made via a mobile device.

While good news for those living on isolated islands off western Scotland, the move cannot be beneficial to the profitability of Tesco’s grocery e-commerce business. Providing deliveries in more rural areas with a lower population density will always have a negative impact on profitability.

However, being able to demonstrate the reach of your service and how it can deliver to even the most far-flung destinations is an effective means for Tesco to reiterate that theirs is the largest online operation. That such a reminder comes as rival Morrisons launches its own grocery ecommerce operation is perhaps not entirely coincidental.

BOOTS takes online international January 20, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87487 UK HBC retailer Boots has unveiled a European version of its e-commerce site accessible to 19 EU countries. According to LSA, the Alliance Boots-owned banner confirmed last week that a beta version of the site was already operational. The actual domain name is international.boots.com, and the retailer stated that future expansion to markets beyond Europe will be rolled out gradually.

Transactions on the site are in GBP and all content is written in English. Delivery is offered at GBP9.99 (USD16.36) with shipping taking seven days, regardless of destination. The well-known Boots Advantage Card loyalty programme is available on the site.

The launch of a pan-European transactional site by Boots clearly demonstrates that the banner sees its future growth beyond the borders of the UK, where presently it does about 90% of all its business. In the light of Alliance Boots’ tie-up with US giant Walgreens, it may also indicate that the Boots brand may be seen as a better proposition globally than reworking the very US-centric Walgreens brand to individual national tastes.

Find the ideal fit at HUDSON’S BAY January 17, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87469 Hudson’s Bay is to use specialist online technology True Fit to offer users of TheBay.com and LordandTaylor.com personalised sizing and fitting options. Online shoppers will be able to create their own True Fit profiles via the websites to generate tailored fit ratings and size recommendations for different styles. A template will then be saved across both sites, allowing them to shop

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seamlessly across both portals. The True Fit technology is also free to use.

Investment in tailored size guides could be a differentiator for Hudson Bay’s online clothing offerings. If promoted effectively it will surely help attract new customers as it reduces the fear of purchasing clothing online only to find it does not fit on arrival. This is a major factor in shopper reluctance to buy apparel online. If the technology works as advertised, it should also help curb return rates and ultimately aid long-term customer retention by firming up brand trust.

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Finance Online retail marketplace Snapdeal site becomes multi-lingual January 30, 2014 | The Economic Times http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-01-30/news/46828640_1_snapdeal-languagetamil Online retail marketplace Snapdeal is shifting to a multi-lingual platform. Customers can now access the site in Hindi or Tamil, apart from English.

In the next three months the site will introduce Kannada, Telegu, Bengali and Marathi options as well.

"Our aim is to make our customers' transaction experience as comfortable as possible," said Ankit Khanna, vice president of product management at Snapdeal. "We are doing this in multiple ways."

For now, it is Snapdeal's desktop site that will have this additional option. But within four months, Khanna said, the mobile site and apps will also be available in regional languages.

This is not the first time that an online retailer has gone regional. Web-only brand Yepme had attempted to do this in 2012 when it introduced Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil options. However, low customer interest resulted in the company abandoning the move in a few months. Yepme is now planning to relaunch vernacular language desktop and mobile sites and apps.

Snapdeal's Khanna believes that the site's large user base, most of who reside in the non-metros, will take to the local language version.

"We are targeting 'middle India'—customers who are price and value conscious, many of whom reside in non-metros and prefer to access online content in their local language," said Khanna. About 50% of all sales on Snapdeal is from smaller cities and towns.

This view is reiterated by experts. "In India English is not enough to reach all parts and strata of India," said Arvind Singhal, chairman of advisory firm Technopak. "Local language sites will significantly expand the market."

A study by Internet and Mobile Association of India last year showed that as of December 2012 36.8% of active internet users in the country (45 million at that time) accessed content in their local language.

Technopak's Singhal said that it is not the elite who are necessarily the ideal target group of online retailers. "It is the masses that are time starved, lack transport facilities and do not have easy access to brands. They are the real market for ecommerce companies," said Singhal.

It took Snapdeal's technology team over a quarter to develop the platform that runs the local language features. Khanna said before that the team spent a significant time with local language content management companies to understand the challenges.

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"Many of them were doing translations manually so that grammar issues could be handled, but we add hundreds of products and associated content online every day. Manual translation would not work for us," said Khanna. The team used employees who were experts in Hindi and Tamil to make aspects like grammar intuitive for the platform. "The technology we have built will translate the content automatically and auto-adjust space and render the fonts according to the language selected," said Khanna.

The company, which raised about Rs 280 crore last year from a group of investors including eBay and Intel Capital, expects a 20% increase in traffic from the local language addition. Snapdeal has around 20 million registered users and is targeting sales of $1 billion (about Rs 6,200 crore) next year.

In recent months the four-year-old company has introduced a slew of technology solutions for customers and sellers on the marketplace, as competition has begun to heat up with the entry of Amazon six months ago. Earlier this month, it launched a payment gateway that allows users to save credit card details. A similar technology was introduced by Flipkart as well, which is now available to other online sites including MakeMyTrip.

SpartanNash Implements KSS Retail Price & Promotion Solution January 30, 2014 | Retail TouchPoints http://www.retailtouchpoints.com/news-brief/3333-spartannash-implements-kss-retail-price-apromotion-solutionKSS Retail, a pricing intelligence, optimization and modeling solution provider, has established a new agreement with SpartanNash, the Michigan-based wholesale food distributor and grocery chain.

SpartanNash will extend the use of the PriceStrat price and promotion enhancement solution across all 16 SpartanNash retail banners, including: Family Fare Supermarkets, No Frills, Bag 'n Save and Econofoods. Spartan Stores and Nash Finch merged in November 2013 through a $1.3 billion deal.

With the new agreement, SpartanNash will implement PriceStrat in a total of approximately 172 supermarkets. To date, the company used PriceStrat to determine optimal prices across 100 Spartan Stores locations, including more than 100 product categories and 40,000 SKUs. The entire SpartanNash network has reported total annual sales of approximately $7.5 billion, among 21 distribution centers servicing more than 1,900 wholesale customers across 37 states, and 172 corporate retail stores across nine states.

“KSS Retail has empowered us with the reporting tools we need to measure and analyze the impact of our price-optimization efforts, so that we can continue to improve our decision making going forward,” said Kathy Alles, Director of Retail Pricing and Data Integrity at Spartan Stores. “In addition, we’ve gained valuable new insights from working with the KSS Retail consulting and science experts.”

Due to the success of PriceStrat, SpartanNash hopes to offer price optimization as a service to its 1,900 wholesale clients.

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Ikea looks to brick-and-mortar to accelerate growth January 28, 2014 | Fierce Retail http://www.fierceretail.com/story/ikea-looks-brick-and-mortar-accelerate-growth/2014-01-28 Ikea, the world's largest furniture retailer has an aggressive plan in place to grow its brick-andmortar business over the next few years, one that goes against the grain in the current digital-driven marketplace.

Ikea reported a 3.2 percent revenue increase to $38.9 billion in fiscal 2013, and although the company has seen increases in its online business, the majority of furniture sales still happen from the showroom floor. When customers want to purchase home furnishings, it helps if they are able to see how much space the item will take up when assembled or feel how comfy a chair is before they actually purchase it.

"We see that Internet and e-commerce is growing, but at the same time, when buying a new bed a lot of people want to try it first, and if you buy a sofa you may want to touch the fabric," Ikea's CEO Peter Agnefjäll told The Wall Street Journal.

The need to see, touch and feel is something that Agnefjäll says sets Ikea customers apart from those who desire to shop online at other mega retailers, such as Amazon and Walmart. Ikea doesn't report how much revenue comes from online sales vs. physical stores or catalogs, but in keeping customers first, the brand plans to pour its resources into building more stores and its trademark showrooms. In fiscal 2014, it plans to spend $3.2 billion on stores, factories and shopping centers, up from a $2.5 billion investment in 2013.

Record funding fires REWE GROUP January 27, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87570 A little may help a lot, but a lot helps even more. With this in mind, Rewe Group has earmarked a record sum of EUR1.6 billion (USD2.2 billion) towards investments this year. “This is possible because we reached our sales targets for 2013,” CEO Alain Caparros told Handelsblatt. Any possible acquisitions would come “on top”, he added. Last year the Germany-based retailer invested EUR1.5 billion (USD2.0 billion), half of which went into its international operations.

To stand out from the competition, Caparros wants to create a more compelling shopping experience in Rewe stores, featuring bistros, cafés and sushi bars. The CEO sees the retailer under pressure from two sides: discounters and e-commerce operators. While the discounter threat is nothing new as Rewe Group itself is active in the sector, its Penny discount chain is the weakest performer of the big four German discounters.

The dynamic emergence of online shopping has had an almost traumatic effect on Rewe Group - it was forced to wind up its electronics superstore chain ProMarkt after the model failed to adapt to

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shifting market conditions. And even if grocery e-commerce is an entirely different animal from CE, the retailer wants to be well prepared for whatever future lies ahead. Therefore, it is extending its home delivery as well as its click & collect services in Germany and Austria.

RELIANCE RETAIL enjoys strong Q3 January 22, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87510 Indian multi-format operator Reliance Retail has declared its third-quarterly results for the period ended 31 December 2013. Revenue grew 38% to INR39.27 billion (USD636.7 million) compared to INR28.40 billion (USD460.3 million) in the same period last year. The company – India’s leading supermarket operator - saw turnover of INR108.56 billion (USD1.76 billion) in the first nine months of the financial year 2013, a growth of 40% on last year’s INR77.49 billion (USD1.26 billion) in the equivalent period.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said: “Our retail business continues on its rapid growth trajectory with 38% revenue growth during the quarter. Value formats sustained the growth momentum to maintain leadership position in the grocery retail business while Reliance Market, the cash & carry format, continued its rapid geographical expansion.”

Reliance stated that its fashion and lifestyle business delivered accelerated performance in the quarter, fuelled by a focus on clothing lines in the value sector. The company discontinued its Delight non-vegetarian food retail format during the quarter, in response to consumer sentiment. Reliance Retail currently operates a total of 1,577 stores across 141 cities in India.

CARREFOUR tops up Indian reserves January 17, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87477 Carrefour in India has increased its authorised capital reserves via a fresh equity injection to INR4.5 billion (USD77 million). This is in place to fund local operations, the Economic Times reports. The newly generated INR1.6 billion (USD 27.38 million) will be invested in Carrefour’s cash & carry operation in India.

The sum involved is a relatively modest amount as the company has already invested some INR3 billion (USD51.33 million) in its current five stores and associated back-end infrastructure. However, UK retailer Tesco recently announced it is putting some USD110 million or INR5.84 billion on the table for its joint venture with Tata Group. This extra cash from Carrefour could potentially finance five to six new stores, but could just as well be simply to sustain operational costs of the existing outlets.

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Technology Apple could be readying mobile payments program January 28, 2014 | Fierce RetailIT http://www.fierceretail.com/retailit/story/apple-could-be-readying-mobile-paymentsprogram/2014-01-28 Shoppers could soon be able to pay via a proprietary payment system on Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) devices as the company builds an internal team to address payments.

Eddy Cue, Apple's iTunes and app store chief, has reportedly held meetings to discuss Apple's interest in handling payments for physical goods and services on its devices, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing "people familiar with the situation." According to these sources, Apple recently tasked Jennifer Bailey with building a payment business within the company. Bailey had been running Apple's online stores.

Apple already handles payments made through its iTunes stores but this new interest would go beyond that to physical goods and services bought from other retailers via Apple devices. Consumers could conceivably order goods from mobile apps, book hotel rooms or order a taxi via car sharing service Uber, and pay with their iTunes account.

"Apple is absolutely the sleeping giant in the payments world," Denee Carrington, analyst at Forrester Research, told the Journal. "They have the capability; they just haven't tied it all together."

The Journal reported in 2012 that Apple had studied ways to break into payments, but scaled back efforts. In April 2013, CEO Tim Cook told investors on a conference call that mobile-payment technology was "in its infancy." Apple's Passbook allows shoppers to corral loyalty cards such as Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) into a central location. And while users of Starbucks' mobile app can pay directly from their mobile device, money must be loaded onto the card from another credit card number on file.

Apple's new payment program could eliminate that need, using iTunes as a central payment processing center. The installed base of iPhone and iPad owners paired with registered iTune account holders — now at 575 million — makes Apple a formidable player in payments.

LIDL debuts self-checkouts in the UK January 24, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87560 Lidl is to begin a self-checkout trial in the UK next week. According to talks at Wincor Nixdorf’s inhouse trade show Wincor World in Rheda-Wiedenbrück this week, the Germany-based discounter will pilot one or more of the provider’s systems in one of its British stores.

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This will mark the first live implementation of self-checkouts for the Schwarz Group-owned discounter anywhere. It comes as no surprise it chose the UK market for the trial as the technology has been well accepted by consumers in the country. So far, discounters have been reluctant to invest into the technology, questioning whether self-service tills could be more efficient than welltrained cashiers. It will be interesting to watch if this assessment will change with the trial.

Lidl’s implementation will not involve an automated scanner. Other than competitor Asda, which is testing a Wincor Nixdorf scan portal at its outlet in York, the German discounter has opted for the tried and tested technology of the widespread scan & bag type. At Wincor World the vendor showcased a new low-cost version of its product line called iScan Easy.

ASDA keeps a close watch on George January 21, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87505 To improve visibility of stock for its George clothing line, Asda is to use RFID technology from Tyco Retail Solutions. The UK retailer is tagging each garment with RFID labels to keep track of every single item in the inventory. Store employees can then monitor stock levels using a real-time dashboard. The technology also allows them to locate missing pieces on the shop floor.

Clothing retailers are increasingly deploying RFID at item-level to gain visibility of their merchandise along the supply chain. The technology helps to enhance inventory accuracy and product availability in stores. It also automates stock-taking, enabling speedy replenishment. Asda’s parent Walmart is one of the pioneers of using RFID. Competitor Marks & Spencer has made comprehensive use of the technology since 2007. Other retailers to recently adopt RFID tagging include department store operators Macy’s and Kohl’s in the USA.

eBay Enterprise Introduces Ship-From-Store Solution January 21, 2014 | Fierce RetailIT http://www.fierceretail.com/retailit/story/ebay-enterprise-introduces-ship-store-solution/201401-21 eBay Enterprise (NASDAQ: EBAY) has launched a Ship-from-Store SaaS solution that turns physical retail locations into virtual distribution centers.

It's eBay's solution to the omnichannel experience. eBay is calling it a game-changing initiative that retailers can deploy within 99 days to most effectively leverage their physical store inventories while gaining advantages in margin and shipping costs. The solution aims to assist retailers with managing effective omnichannel capabilities to boost sales, enhance the shopper experience and improve retention rates. With 77 percent of consumers expecting retailers to provide a consistent, integrated experience between their in-store and online channels, ship-from-store and in-store pickup will empower retailers to continue to compete in an omnichannel landscape and meet their customers' evolving needs.

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Ship-from-Store benefits include decreased delivery costs and times by routing shipments from the nearest possible physical location, optimized order fulfillment through physical storefront inventory, expediting the ability for retailers to debut new products and the ability to maintain profit margins by turning store inventory online, as opposed to in-store merchandise markdowns to move inventory.

"Every day that retailers do not utilize in-store inventory to augment their online sales, they lose opportunities to maximize their existing inventory and increase their bottom line profitability by avoiding markdowns," said Tobias Hartmann, head of omnichannel operations, eBay Enterprise.

"With the eBay Enterprise Ship-from-Store solution, retailers can quickly turn their physical retail locations into virtual distribution centers."

Expedited delivery and inventory access is expected to help retailers reduce markdowns and improve margins.

Ship-From-Store is now live for 2,756 stores, 30 brands, 22 retailers in 13 countries. Based on client data, eBay Enterprise customers can experience over 30 percent margin increase on items nearing markdown.

Mobile engagement matters to SEARS January 20, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87492 Sears and Kmart have selected Pikato’s mobile marketing solution to personalise the shopping experience. The new platform gathers real-time customer feedback, combining it with local and transactional data to ascertain the best offers and messages to be delivered to the shopper.

“Not only was Pikato able to quickly deliver personalized recommendations across multiple mobile touchpoints, we have also seen a significant increase in redemption rates (up 1,100%) of our mobile coupons by leveraging Pikato’s intelligence platform," said Bill Kiss, Chief Digital Officer at Sears.

Sears is constantly enhancing its popular Shop Your Way loyalty scheme. As of this year, the retailer is allowing members to earn points for exercise via a fitness app. Last November, the retailer upgraded its app to allow members access to special deals and have real-time access to store associates. With its latest move, the retailer will be able to address shoppers in an even more personalised way and hopefully drive up redemption rates even further.

DELHAIZE GROUP opens new automated DC January 17, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87481 Belgium-based Delhaize Group has officially opened its new automated DC in Belgium, Retail Detail reports. The retailer has invested EUR50 million (USD69 million) in its new logistics centre Fresh III in

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Asse Zellik, near Brussels. The facility – which will run at full capacity from March this year - has been automated by German warehouse automation specialist Witron. At the new site, the retailer deploys Witron’s Automated Tote System (ATS) which can store and pick Euro Pool totes without human input.

With the new automation technology, the retailer will be able to quickly and efficiently serve its smaller store formats such as Proxy Delhaize and Shop & Go which order smaller amounts and carry a higher proportion of ultra-fresh products. The 12,000 square metre (129,000 square foot) facility is directly connected to the existing Fresh II building. This new DC means Delhaize now has more than 200,000 square metres (2,100,800 square feet) of warehouse space in Belgium and Luxembourg.

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Strategy Samsung taps Carphone Warehouse for concept stores in Europe January 30, 2014 | Fierce Retail http://www.fierceretail.com/story/samsung-taps-carphone-warehouse-concept-storeseurope/2014-01-30 Samsung has signed a deal with mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse to operate more than 60 stand-alone stores across Europe. Three Carphone-operated Samsung stores were opened in Spain in 2013, and the successful test has led the companies to debut new stores in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. over the next three months.

The new stores will have a "premium look and feel," while selling Samsung products exclusively. The locations will combine Carphone Warehouses's existing sales tools and platforms with Samsungbranded tablets to complete sales on the shop floor.

AT&T, Vantiv Partnership Provides Mobile Payment Solutions January 30, 2014 | Integrated Solutions for Retailers http://www.retailsolutionsonline.com/doc/at-t-vantiv-partnership-provides-mobile-paymentsolutions-0001 Mobile Accept, tablet Mobile Checkout give retailers comprehensive mobile payment capabilities AT&T Wireless and Vantiv, a provider of payment processing services, partnered to make a push into the mobile payments arena, offering solutions to AT&T’s 3 million customers. The Vantiv Mobile Accept app from AT&T features a card reader that securely swipes credit, debit, or prepaid cards for processing. It also calculates tax, applies discounts, allows customers to add tips, and enables customers to provide contact information for email offers. The Vantiv Mobile Checkout from AT&T is a tablet-based payment option that enables cashiers to safely process payments with a cash drawer and receipt printer, scan barcodes, track transactions with easy-to-use dashboard, manage email marketing, and provide access to business and inventory data.

AT&T says the solutions support emerging payment trends, including field service workers accepting payments on site, restaurants accepting table-side payments, and retailers capturing customer email addresses for marketing campaigns. Mike Trojano, VP, Advance Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions, states, “Mobile devices and platforms continue to revolutionize the business of selling.

Vantiv mobile payment solutions from AT&T can empower businesses of all sizes to seize the mobility opportunity.” Forrester Research predicts the mobility opportunity is a significantly growing one: U.S mobile payments are predicted to rise to $90 billion by 2017— nearly a50 percent annual growth rate from $12.8 billion spent in 2012.

The solutions also offer other functions, such as real-time sales history, the ability to manage multistore inventory and employees, and tools to drive loyalty programs and social media

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campaigns. And, in general, mobile payment options mean a reduced risk of losses from fraudulent checks, incorrect data entry, or misuse of information for customers.

The solutions are available through AT&T. Elizabeth Rector, senior VP and GM for eCommerce and Mobile at Vantiv, says “AT&T’s sales force and its retail locations create a powerful new distribution channel for Vantiv’s mobile products.”

TESCO joins Thai c-store brawl January 27, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87567 Under the banner name ‘365’, Tesco is trialling its first smaller format convenience store in Bangkok, reports the Bangkok Post. The UK retail giant plans to take on market-leading c-store operator CP All’s 7-Eleven stores. According to Coconuts Bangkok, Ek-Chai Distribution System, which operates Tesco Lotus stores in Thailand, intends its new 365 stores to outnumber 7-Eleven within three years.

Ek-Chai’s goal is to open more than 10,000 stores within three years.

365 stores will operate 24 hours and sell essential goods, beverages and ready-to-eat meals. This will differentiate them from Lotus Express stores, which act more like smaller-sized supermarkets and sell fresh ingredients.

Tesco Lotus Corporate Affairs Director Salinla Sihapan said that its first 365, located in a rented retail property in the Pratunam area, will be tested for six months. The location is surrounded by outlets operated by rivals FamilyMart and 7-Eleven. Five more 365s are scheduled to open in different locations within six months. The intention is to study consumer behaviour and amass feedback, reports Coconuts Bangkok. The next sites will be the Asoke area and Thonglor Skytrain station in the capital.

The planned expansion of the 365 banner is likely to further heat up competition in the convenience store sector in Thailand, in which CP All is the biggest player. Tesco’s c-store ambitions come at a time of intensifying competition and political turmoil in the country. FamilyMart operator Central Retail has plans for run 3,000 branches by 2017; LAWSON is eyeing 1,000 stores within five years from 2013, while Casino-owned Mini Big C has targeted 850 branches by 2016.

Brand-buying spree for FUTURE GROUP January 24, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87556 Future Lifestyle Fashions (FLF) is eyeing three acquisitions in the fashion retail space in north and south India. The company has identified Spykar Lifestyles, Delhi-based apparel brand Giovani and women's fashion clothing line Desi Belle for possible buys. FLF, formed through the de-merger of the fashion businesses of Future Retail (formerly Pantaloon Retail) and Future Ventures, operates 4.05 million square feet (0.38 million square metres) of retail space across various Indian fashion formats.

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Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani said: “North and south *…+ determine the fashion trends of the country. The flavour of fashion is in these two regions.” A spokesman for FLF added: “The Giovani deal has almost been sealed and we are in the last leg of talks for Spykar. Though these are not very big deals, they will give us a head start in unexplored categories like men’s tailoring and formalwear.”

SUBWAY to double UK footprint January 23, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87521 Subway is aiming to nearly double its number of stores in the UK & Ireland to 3,000 by 2020, reports The Guardian. The company intends to add 1,300 outlets, creating around 13,000 new jobs. Mike Charest, Assistant Regional Director for Europe, said: "In addition to our traditional store development we see new potential in settings such as universities, stations, convenience stores, hospitals, airports and petrol stations."

The UK & Ireland market is Subway’s largest market outside North America and Planet Retail believes there is still opportunity for expansion through the opening of non-traditional locations.

There is high demand for the Subway brand amongst consumers, as they perceive the chain offers a healthy alternative to other fast food. Furthermore, Subway are successfully aligning with other popular trends, including the expansion of their breakfast daypart menu and increasing its value options.

AMAZON intensifies India efforts January 21, 2014 | Planet Retail http://www.planetretail.net/NewsAndInsight/Article/87506 A second Amazon fulfillment centre is scheduled for India. Adding to the existing facility in southern India, the new centre is to be located near Bangalore and will cover 150,000 square feet (14,000 square metres). It will be operational by this February and will be equipped with state-of-the-art warehousing systems and processes.

According to Amazon, the investment is part of the company's efforts to improve its online shopping experience in India, and establish a scalable and bigger national platform for small and medium enterprises. It will also help customers obtain a broader selection of categories available for immediate shipment and eligible under Amazon's Next-Day Guaranteed service.

We await with interest to see precisely how Amazon will help support SME retailers in India achieve scalable online businesses. While certainly a laudable ambition, the actual logistic practicalities of providing support for the thousands of such businesses in India may well prove too great a task, even for a company as intent on achieving the impossible as Amazon.

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