| BlueLight.com this fall will deliver in-store returns and personalization features aimed at reversing the sagging Web fortunes of Kmart, which failed to get its own e-commerce strategy off the ground before spinning off BlueLight late last year as a venture-backed unit.
To nudge more customers online, BlueLight.com will also offer low-priced PCs. Meantime, the e-retailer’s free Internet service, marketed in stores and ad circulars, has already attracted nearly 3 million customers.
Analysts and investors will watch the unit’s financial performance closely. Kmart’s share of BlueLight.com’s first-quarter pre-tax operating loss totaled $17 million. The free ISP accounts constituted a big chunk of that loss, and the cheap PC program could add to that. |
