Macy's

A survey released yesterday by Hay Group, a global management consultancy, reported that 68 percent of retailers expect holiday sales to increase this year. An overwhelming majority89 percentsay they are not planning to offer deeper discounts on Black Friday; while 94 percent will not discount on Cyber Monday this year. Sixty-three percent of retailers plan to start promotions in November, but some early birds plan to begin in October (13 percent), September (6 percent) and even August (6 percent), according to the Hay Group report. Despite this, hiring plans remain conservative, with 67 percent of retailers hiring at the

New research from Buddy Media and L2 titled, Digital IQ Index: Specialty Retailers, measures the digital footprint of 64 speciality retail brands via 350 data points across four dimensions: site, digital marketing, social media and mobile.

After a successful launch this past spring, Macy's is bringing back its customized mobile barcode program, Backstage Pass. In addition to sending new promotional videos to shoppers' phones when they scan the QR codes, customers will also have the chance to win daily shopping sprees.

Macy’s announced that Steven Derwoed has been appointed vice president of merchandising for the Macy’s store planning and design group.

Foursquare has surpassed the 10-million user mark, and the check-in site collected a number of facts about itself to complement the announcement. Target, Wal-Mart and Macy's have been noted as the most popular retail chains on the site.

Macy's workers will remain on the job after the retail giant reached a tentative deal with its union Thursday morning after a marathon bargaining session. "Following an all-night negotiating session, Macy's is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with Local 1-S of the RWDSU on a new five-year agreement," Macy's spokeswoman Elina Kazan said in a statement.

Local 1-S of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union announced that more than 4,000 union workers at Macy's Manhattan flagship and three other New York locations have voted to strike if a new contract is not reached by midnight on Wednesday. 

Sophisticated technology, less staff at stores and more gang activity are all contributing to more U.S. stores being hit by organized crime, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.

Listen in as Bernie Brennan, co-author of 
“Branded! How Retailers Engage Consumers With Social Media and Mobility," (with Lori Schafer) discusses how leading retailers Macy's, J.C. Penney and Best Buy are meeting the needs of their customers — and generating revenue — by communicating with them via the web, social media and smartphones. This podcast…

Major retailers are joining forces with Google to test Google Wallet, an Android application that allows consumers to use virtual versions of their existing plastic credit cards. Consumers can pay for an item using a credit card or gift card, redeem promotions and earn loyalty points — all with a single tap of their smartphone.