I’m not a huge fan of schlepping around needlessly when I can do most of my shopping from the comfort of my chair, but Apple fans don’t seem to have much trouble going to their local Apple store when the urge strikes. According to their recent earnings call, 110 million people went to an Apple store in Q1, which breaks down to roughly 22,000 customers per Apple store per week. → Read More
A new startup called Euclid Elements emerged from stealth mode today to debut its customer-tracking solution for brick-and-mortar merchants it’s calling “Google Analytics for the physical world.” The name is an apt description for the new solution, which employs sensors and wireless technology to track customer behavior, as its founding team actually includes former Google Analytics engineers.
Euclid also announced its $5.8 million in Series A funding from New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Harrison Metal, Triple Point Capital and other angel investors. → Read More
Mobile shopping app aisle411 is partnering with ZipList, a recipe search and shopping list platform, in the newest release of the aisle411 iPhone app, out now. With the update, aisle411 version 2.0, is also adding better aisle navigation, mapping out an optimized path through stores, whether that’s to help you locate a single item or all the items on your shopping list. → Read More
Tagtile is a new company (and recent TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Alley participant), which is using the Square model involving free hardware to address the issues surrounding customer loyalty, management and rewards for brick-and-mortar merchants.
Like mobile payments service Square, which uses a free hardware dongle that attaches to a mobile phone, Tagtile also provides its merchants with a free hardware device – in this case, a white cube for customers to tap with their phone at checkout. → Read More
After the discovery of a fake Apple store in Kunming, China caught the blogosphere’s attention, MICGadget ran down a selection of some of the more impressive fakes that have cropped up over the past few months, perhaps culminating in the Giger-esque egg pod version full of iPhones, Macs, and (though not for sale) the iPad 2.
→ Read More
In celebration of their 10th retail anniversary, Apple stores are expected to hold “something big” on Thursday, at least according to BGR. Employees are expected to work overtime and sign NDAs as well as surrender their cellphones. They will also be getting secret hardware to install this week. → Read More
Today Wal-Mart is offering free shipping with no minimum on walmart.com on around 60,000 items. The deal will run until December 20th and may continue until Christmas. This is, in short, an attempt to grab commerce through this lucrative month and into the next from other retailers like Amazon and Toys’r'Us.
The holidays are usually an extremely brisk time for online sales and retailers are hoping this year will be better than last. Most retailers reported at least a 16% increase in sales last month, which bodes well for the rest of the season. Another interesting data point is the estimated Kinect sales numbers topping out at 425,000 since launch. This either suggests consumers aren’t ready to dance around in front of their TVs or, a more likely scenario, the Kinect will be the must-have item this season and parents are waiting before they buy. → Read More
Members-only shopping site JackThreads.com just got a redesign and has begun selling more gadgetry including headphones and Nooka watches. We wrote about these boys back when Thrillist bought the company in May. Similar to Gilt Group, the company sells “hot” and “exciting” items popular with the “kids” for up to 80% off, ensuring that legions of web developers can still find skinny jeans. → Read More
On the surface, Tecca looks like a pretty cool service. You download an app, browse it for devices you’re looking at in store, and figure out if the price is right. How? By checking out online prices, most notably the prices available from Best Buy, one of the investors in Fuse Capital, creator of Tecca. Even if the app brings up 50 other prices from 50 other stores, the assumption here is that BB has the best price and you go home happy.
Best Buy is already in the cat bird seat when it comes to electronics purchases. Companies that support “lowest price” challenges (we visit P.C. Richards in New York for appliances, for example) are beholden to their low prices and although they’re often draconian when it comes to checking your wallet on the way out the door. But they’re the only game in town and services like Tecca, even if they don’t immediately bring up Best Buy pricing, is an effort to solidify that concept before any upstarts come into the market. → Read More
Best Buy‘s move to the UK has been known for a little while now, but, to quote Jim Ross, business has just picked up. Other stores in the UK are planning how to best confront the store when it makes its debut this spring. (The first one opens in May.) Luckily for the local guys, Best Buy doesn’t exactly have the best reputation out there. Fair or not, that’s the way things are. → Read More
RetailMeNot.com, “a top consumer destination for coupons, discounts and promotional codes for merchandise, groceries, travel and services”, shared some interesting statistics about consumer coupon use for the first month of 2010. New Jersey loves printing off coupons for use in brick-and-mortar stores, while New York prefers online coupon codes. Almost 15 million people visited RetailMeNot.com in January and saved over eight million dollars with online and printed coupons. → Read More
I noticed the fellas from PoketyPoke each carrying around an iMac box after the Digital Experience event at CES last week. “Wow, you guys really went all out,” said I. “Yeah,” said they, “Did you know you can rent an iMac for two weeks for $120?” → Read More
A tale of holiday woe for your enjoyment. I just logged into my BestBuy.com account to make sure that the gift I ordered for someone on my list would indeed arrive by Christmas. It will not. Could be Best Buy’s fault, could be UPS’ fault – either way, the train went off the tracks. → Read More
Cyber Monday might have turned out to be better than expected. Online retailers saw a 13.7 percent increase in sales compared to last year, and 24.1 percent more than on Black Friday 2009. The latest data comes from Coremetrics, a Web analytics service used by more than 500 retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Bath & Body Works, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Office Depot, and Williams-Sonoma.
The average online order was $180.03, compared to $170.19 on Black Friday and $130.24 last year. Consumers also bought 10 percent more indivual items than on Friday, and 30 percent more items than last year. → Read More
This is just wrong. I’ll admit, I didn’t enjoy “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”. I thought the plot was weak and contrived, and I was slightly offended by the dumbing down of the film (robot urination and racial stereotypes? give me a break). I realize that the original “Transformers” wasn’t exactly the height of cinematic art, but it was better then the sequel. → Read More
In an ironic twist, it’s coming to light that computers purchased from the Microsoft retail stores will not contain the ‘trialware’ that was typically included in new PC’s. This answers one of the criticisms that Apple users typically had about new PC’s. This has been confirmed by both employees and witnesses. Microsoft has stated that the machines sold in their stores will be considered to be part of their signature line, and therefore will not include any unnecessary third party software. They will come preloaded with the optional Windows Live Essentials pack, Bing 3D Maps, Security Essentials, and the Zune client. Previously, the only PC manufacturer that has promised ‘craplet’ free systems has been Toshiba, however Sony and Dell have made such configurations available as an option. [via electronista] → Read More
Wow. Amazon.com is now offering same day shipping – same day shipping — in seven major cities across the U.S. with more on the way in the near future. If you live in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Las Vegas, or Seattle then you’re already in one of the same day delivery zones. → Read More
Is it to early to proclaim—loudly, as you do—the practice of buying video games at retail dead? Yes, it probably is too early; yet we continue. Microsoft’s announcement today that it will make available, sometime this year, full retail games available for download via Xbox Live, may well be more important than Project Natal, or “Project Christmas” as I like to call it. (All those months spent learning Portuguese have finally paid off!) And while, yes, it make be too early to make any sort of rushed pronouncements, I’d say it’s say to start thinking about the future. → Read More
Trading in your used video games could get even less personal (not that it needs to be personal in the first place) the next time you’re at Wal-Mart. The company is apparently testing out kiosks for buying, renting, and even trading in movies and games. → Read More
With retail electronics stores closing down faster than the backwards-spinning water in an Australian toilet bowl, Best Buy is now trying to figure out how to compete with remaining high-volume, low-price super retailers like Wal-Mart.
And while trying to take on Wal-Mart’s ultra aggressive pricing isn’t necessarily in the cards, “Best Buy supposedly intends to create differentiation by playing up its product demonstration ability,” according to Electronic House. → Read More
