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Retail Bites |
Smart Selling
• American Express has found a remedy for online shoppers' security concerns: single-use credit-card numbers. Each randomly selected number will be valid for only one transaction; the cardholder's permanent account will be billed, but that account number needn't be divulged online. The Private Payments service will be offered free to Amex members and incur no extra costs for merchants.
• A coffee bar in the Italian seaside resort town of Sperlonga has boosted its business with an unlikely premium: free condoms with every cup of coffee. The owner told newspaper Corriere della Sera that the safety-minded extra has drawn in more than 150 customers per day, including more young people than previously patronized the shop.
What's New
• The Home Depot expanded its Latin American presence in late August. The new Buenos Aires store is the first of eight outlets the retailer plans to open in Argentina over the next 18 months; The Home Depot also has four locations in Chile.
• U.K. supermarket chain ASDA, owned by Wal-Mart, has launched a chain of 24-hour "supercentres" that promise to deliver "the American dream" in the form of a wide array of general merchandise as well as grocery items. In the parent company's tradition, arriving shoppers will be welcomed by greeters; they'll also be assisted by a scooter-riding service squad.
• Swedish apparel chain Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) is building on the phenomenal success of its U.S. flagship near New York's Rockefeller Center. Next month H&M will open a second Manhattan store, around the corner from Macy's Herald Square headquarters, and is reportedly eyeing sites in Union Square and Soho.
E-tail
• In response to customer outcry, Amazon.com promised to reimburse DVD buyers who were charged more than others buying the same items during a recent weeklong price test. The shoppers will receive the difference between the price they paid and the lowest price offered for the items. The e-tailer also vowed to distribute such refunds routinely at the conclusion of any future price tests it conducts.
• E-tailers' customer-acquisition costs are dropping as they advertise less on TV and more online, according to a survey by Shop.org and The Boston Consulting Group. The survey also found that online retailers are beginning to focus less on brand awareness and more on customer retention.
• Saks Incorporated has joined the world of e-luxury. saksfifthavenue.com will offer designer apparel, accessories, jewelry, cosmetics and fragrances, and gifts, and include a feature that helps shoppers coordinate outfits by suggesting companion pieces for those they have already chosen.
• A bankrupt e-tailer's controversial intention to sell its 250,000-name customer database was thwarted by a court decision. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Massachusetts rejected a settlement Toysmart.com had reached with the Federal Trade Commission last month that would have allowed the sale of the database. Toysmart.com's privacy policy guaranteed that customer information would not be shared with third parties.
Marketplace
• Global retailers finding fortune far beyond their home bases led the list of The Top 100 Retailers Worldwide, compiled by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The ubiquitous Wal-Mart headed the pack, followed by Carrefour Group, The Kroger Co., and Metro AG. The rankings are based on sales figures. |
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