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If merchants needed any more evidence of the increasing importance of optimizing their sites for mobile commerce, Google is about to weigh in in a big way. Beginning April 21, Google is rolling out a "mobile friendly" update to its algorithm that the company says will have a "significant impact" on results for searches made on mobile devices. In an effort to give mobile users more useful search experiences, the new algorithm will give greater weight in its rankings to sites that are easy to navigate on mobile phones and tablets, such as those using responsive design principles.

L'Oreal USA will acquire New York-based omnichannel beauty retailer Carol's Daughter, which sells its products through specialty beauty stores, mass retailers, HSN, e-commerce and two Carol's Daughter-branded stores in New York City. For the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2014, Carol's Daughter had net sales of $27 million. Carol's Daughter will continue to operate out of its New York City headquarters under the brand's current leadership team.

In July, we told you about USA Discounters, a retailer that took advantage of underpaid soldiers with no credit histories to charge them exorbitant financing fees and then sue them when they couldn't pay up. Now USA Discounters has changed its name and is promising to change its ways, but

PATIENT: "Doc, our new owners want to change the catalog so it's more like a series of ads — aspirational, exciting, clean, with attention-grabbing headlines on each spread. They figure ads work to drive sales to their brick-and-mortar stores, so that proven formula will work for the catalog too." 

Amazon.com hopes the workers in its scores of fulfillment centers across the country are happy in their jobs. But if they're not and would rather be doing something else, Amazon has a deal: The company will pay them a bonus — up to $5,000 — to leave. In a program that Amazon aptly calls Pay to Quit, those who aren't committed to their jobs are urged to leave on their own and can get $2,000 in severance pay in the first year of employment with the bonus topping out at $5,000 in the fourth year.

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