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As 2011 Closes, NRF Reflects on Legislative Victories
December 19, 2011

Listed at the very top of the Top 10 Lobbying Victories of 2011 from The Hill newspaper is the National Retail Federationโ€™s campaign to block last-minute efforts by the banking industry to delay debit card swipe fee reforms. While swipe fee reform was a crucial win for retailers, NRFโ€™s legislative victories spanned a wide scope of issues.

Shoppers Prompted to Share Facebook Data With Online Retailers
December 19, 2011

At first glance, a Facebook permissions request can look like an intimidating hurdle for users of Facebook applications. The assumption often made about a Facebook permissions request is that it asks for information users aren't willing to share, that users are put off due to privacy concerns and therefore that they opt in at lower rates.

IBM report: Holiday shopping from mobile devices on the rise
December 19, 2011

Bethesda, Md. -- IBM on Monday released its Benchmark projection for online sales for the month of December, showing that online sales are expected to grow by 9.5% to 10% year-over-year. For the week of Dec. 11, the report showed that online sales rose 10.8% over the same week in 2010. Mobile traffic increased to 12.1% of all online retailing sessions, compared with 5% over the same week last year and reflecting a 143.9% increase. Holiday sales from mobile devices grew in total, reaching 8.9% versus 3.8% on this week last year -- a 134.4% increase.

eBay Offers Multichannel Incentive
December 19, 2011

eBay announced that it's partnered with Toysโ€œRโ€Us, Dickโ€™s Sporting Goods and Aeropostale for a new incentive for shoppers to spend money online and in stores. When customers spend $100 using PayPal at Toysโ€œRโ€Us or Babiesโ€œRโ€Us on eBay, ToysRUs.com, BabiesRUs.com, DicksSportingGoods.com, or Aeropostale.com, they will earn $10 to shop in-store.

Skinny Bitch Apparel Announces New Women's Apparel E-commerce Site
December 19, 2011

makes its online debut with the launch of skinnybitchapparel.com after the company started in June 2011. The new womenโ€™s apparel ecommerce site features rad clothes for rad girls and is quickly gaining momentum in the online fashion world. Skinnybitchapparel.com seeks to make a name and set the stage for todayโ€™s fearless female who sees no shame in standing up and standing out. The women's e-commerce apparel site features vintage and trendy fashions from today's favorite brands as well as Los Angeles based local designers. Some of the fashion brands include popular brands such as Cheap Monday, Charley 5.0, and

Retail Radio Gives Shoppers Music to Spend By
December 19, 2011

In-store holiday music, while festive, can start to sound the same. Try being the guy programming it. "There are only about 25 Christmas songs; there are just 8,000 versions," said Shawn Cash, programmer for in-store music company Retail Radio. "Try and name 50 Christmas songs."

FromYouFlowers.com Acquires SendFlowers.com
December 19, 2011

FromYouFlowers.com, a retailer of flowers and gifts, announced the acquisition of SendFlowers.com from Stanley's Flowers, a fourth generation family florist. By adding one of the flower industry's most recognizable names and leading URLs, FromYouFlowers.com will look to extend existing growth initiatives and customer service goals.

Neiman Marcus Launches foursquare, Facebook Campaigns
December 19, 2011

High-end retailer Neiman Marcus may have been slow to embrace social media, like many luxury brands, but in the last few months it's hosted a number of digital campaigns to boost its online presence. Now the retailer has almost 500,000 fans on Facebook and 50,000 followers on Twitter.

American Apparel Opens Two More International In-Store Shops
December 19, 2011

Los Angeles-based American Apparel Inc. opened two more in-store shops inside two locations of London-based department store Selfridges, as the clothing retailer continues its efforts to expand into new markets and open new distribution channels, according to www.wsj.com. The new locations in Manchester and Birmingham follow the 2010 opening of the American Apparel concession at the Selfridges department store in London. "We're continuing to build American Apparel as an international brand and expanding our partnership with Selfridges is the perfect way to do it," said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel. SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT |

Help Wanted: Walmart hiring 4.3 million
December 17, 2011

Yes, you read that correctly. Walmart will need to hire an estimated 4.3 million people over the course of the next five years to keep pace with anticipated growth and turnover. No wonder the company is such a big supporter of an organization known as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), which held its Global Partner Summit in Rogers, Ark. earlier this week. The late Jack Shewmaker lent his considerable support to SIFE for many years as one of Walmartโ€™s top executives and that trend continues today with Walmart International president and CEO Doug McMillon serving as chairman of the