"Report: Wal-Mart February Sales a 'Total Disaster' Amid Tax Hike" by Matt Egan at Fox Business News.  "The report, from Bloomberg News, sent shares of the world’s largest retailer dropping more than 3% and pushed the S&P 500 to session lows.  "In case you haven’t seen a sales report these days, February MTD sales are a total disaster,” Jerry Murray, a vice president of finance and logistics at Wal-Mart, said in an email to other executives on February 12, according to Bloomberg. “The worst start to a month I have seen in my ~7 years with the company.”  Read [...]

  "Mobile Rewards Apps That Lure Shoppers Back to Stores" by Lauren Goode at All Things D.  "What would it take for you to shop in stores these days, rather than buy from the comfort of your couch? Some companies are betting that smartphones can help lure you back to the mall by offering rewards, coupons and other incentives that can only be earned when you’re physically in a store.  Personally, my dislike for shopping goes against gender stereotypes. I’d much rather hide behind my computer screen, order all the gifts and clothes I need, and wait for them to [...]

  "Schnucks to Walmart: End “Inaccurate”, “Misleading”, “Unlawful” Ads" in Grocery & Retail News. "Nearly a year into Walmart’s advertising campaign that puts its grocery competitors’ prices in the crosshairs, one grocery chain is fighting back. St. Louis-based Schnucks is demanding that Walmart “cease, desist and refrain” from what it calls “deceptive and misleading” advertising. Schnucks’ allegations, and Walmart’s responses, also pull back the curtain a bit on how Walmart’s ads are produced, and who exactly is selected to appear in them...Walmart explains to Schnucks that “Sheri”, one of the shoppers featured in its St. Louis ad campaign, was chosen [...]

  "Amazon squeaks past Apple as most reputable U.S. company" by Lance Whitney at CNET.  "Amazon is the most reputable company in the U.S, at least according to the results of a new Harris poll.  Released today, the 2013 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient measured the reputations of the most prominent companies in the United States based on the opinions of more than 14,000 people. The poll analyzed companies based on six criteria: social responsibility; emotional appeal; financial performance; products and services; vision and leadership; and workplace environment."  Read more:  https://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57568960-93/amazon-squeaks-past-apple-as-most-reputable-u.s-company/   "Harris Poll Releases 2013 RQ / Reputation Report"  Multiple [...]

  "Target regains its mojo" by Thomas Lee at Star-Tribune.  "Sunday night’s Grammy Awards wasn’t just the return of Justin Timberlake. The buzz from the “SexyBack” singer also rubbed off on Target, which rolled out a commercial during the awards touting an exclusive version of JT’s first album in six years, “The 20/20 Experience.”  The retailer also will announce Tuesday that it’s teaming with Sports Illustrated to present six pages of ads in this year’s swimsuit issue. Target also launched an exclusive spring design collection from Prabal Gurung over the weekend.  It’s all part of the latest marketing push from Jeff [...]

  "Home Depot abandoning BlackBerry platform in favor of Apple's iPhone and iOS" by Kevin Bostic at Apple Insider.  "People familiar with the big-box retailer's plans said the company has already begun the process of abandoning the Blackberry platform for Apple's iOS, specifically for store managers and all corporate level employees.  A representative for the home improvement chain confirmed the news to AppleInsider, saying the move will displace roughly 10,000 Blackberry smartphones."  Read more:  https://appleinsider.com/articles/13/02/08/home-depot-abandoning-blackberry-platform-in-favor-of-apples-iphone-and-ios   "Amazon unpacked" by Sarah O'Connor at The Financial Times.  "Between a sooty power station and a brown canal on the edge of a small [...]

    "Virtual Grocery and toy stores on the rise thanks to QR codes" by David Hill at Singularity Hub (Video and Text).  "The next big thing in shopping may be to walk away empty handed. That’s because an increasing number of companies are putting up virtual stores that have no physical merchandise; instead, posters display products with quick response (QR) codes. Customers scan the matrix barcodes with their smartphones, pay for the items in their virtual cart, and items are delivered to their doors within hours to days, depending on the items...Walmart teamed up with Mattel to offer a [...]

  "In-store Shopping Still Center of Shopping Experience, Says PwC US"  "Retailers should have realistic expectations when it comes to channels and devices, as shopping trends may not change drastically and social media and tablets are likely not taking over any time soon according to our survey respondents," said Susan McPartlin, PwC's U.S. retail & consumer sector leader. "While many forecasts point toward devices and social media dominating in retail, companies today need to utilize their multiple channels to engage with consumers and use social media as a marketing and communication tool to create value. Our report finds that the [...]