Macy's

Buoyed by robust sales including a major boost online, department store giant Macy's reported solid first-quarter results, including a surge in profit. The parent company of the Macy's and Bloomingdale's chains said its profit for the three months that ended April 30 was $131 million, or 30 cents a share, compared with $23 million, or 5 cents, in the year-earlier quarter.

Crate and Barrel will begin doling out kickbucks — Shopkick currency redeemable for rewards — and special offers to Shopkick users who visit any of its U.S. stores.

U.S. retailers' same-store sales in April surpassed analysts’ estimates, led by Limited Brands and Macy’s. This indiactes that consumers gained confidence in the U.S. economy’s recovery.

Iconic cross-channel retailer Macy's launched a multimarket advertising takeover of online transit guide HopStop.com to bring excitement and visitors to its annual spring flower show. Macy's was attracted to HopStop.com because it believed its large, urban consumer base (4 million monthly consumers and tourists) and geo-ad targeting capabilities in major metropolitan markets would drive visitors to the events, which took place March 27 through April 10 at Macy's stores in Chicago, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Forty-eight percent of Macy's customer complaints are focused on interactions with sales associates, therefore training sessions are part of a new strategy by the store to improve its track record on customer service, which in recent years has dented the reputation of the storied retailer, lowered its scores in annual customer service rankings — and most likely slowed growth.

Vacancies at U.S. regional malls rose to the highest level in at least a decade in the first quarter, a sign that landlords are struggling to keep tenants after the recession even as retail sales rise.

The cross-channel retail industry is at a crossroads. For starters, due to the economic downturn, the past couple of years have been difficult for the retail sector. But that's changing. Retailers are starting to see signs of life and are breathing a sigh of relief. At press time, for example, it was announced that February retail sales increased 0.6 percent over January and 4.2 percent year-over-year, according to the National Retail Federation.

For years marketers have cited the success of 2-D barcodes overseas and eagerly waited (and waited) for them to take hold in the U.S. Thanks to prominent endorsements from Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Post Cereals, that day might finally be nearing.

Macy's reported an impressive 30.9 percent gain in sales at its Macy's and Bloomingdales' websites last month. That growth contributed to the department store's ability to outpace analysts' estimates for February, with a 5.8 percent gain in the company's same-store sales.

Retailers appear to have overestimated the spending momentum of consumers and are delivering December sales numbers that show the poor economy still has the upper hand.