Macy's

Macy's sees plenty of value in data-driven marketing and believes consumers should hear more from marketers about the benefits. But that doesn't mean the retailer will be secretly tracking shoppers by their mobile phone signals and linking the data with their transactions and home addresses. Speaking yesterday at the D2 Digital Dialogue conference in Cincinnati, Julie Bernard, the retailer's senior vice president, customer strategy, said marketers should speak up more often and forcefully to defend data use and counter negative media coverage. But she said they also need to show restraint.

L2, a New York University think tank that specializes in retail economics, has released their first-ever ranking of department stores based on digital prowess, and here's a shocker: Macy's has beat out pace-setting digital darling Net-a-Porter. Macy's comes in second on this list, topped only by Nordstrom, while Net-a-Porter is way down the ladder at seventh. Saks, UK-based Marks & Spencer, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale's also rank ahead of of the luxury e-tailer. So, er, how is that possible?

After years of beefing up their e-commerce engines, traditional merchants are now waking up to omnichannel retailing, recognizing that the meat and potatoes of their business is still their existing fleet of physical stores. They're creating ways to bridge the gap between the virtual and in-store experience, introducing purchasing paradigms that are nudging consumers to upend the way they've shopped since time immemorial.

One of the leaders in omnichannel retailing, Macy's continues to set a strong pace in the industry. The retailer will be able to fulfill direct-to-consumer orders from more than 500 of its stores and is working with 50 percent of its suppliers to stock RFID-tagged goods for improved inventory counts. Macy's is also making major investments in associate training to enhance service levels offered to informed, technology-wielding consumers.

Macy's has filed an appeal challenging a judge's ruling that J.C. Penney can sell unbranded Martha Stewart goods in its stores for now — the latest salvo in a legal war between the two retailers over rights to the domestic doyenne's products. Justice Jeffrey Oing in Manhattan state court said on Friday that J.C. Penney could sell certain Martha Stewart-designed goods as long as they don't carry her name. The decision was a reprieve for the troubled retailer which has already had the products manufactured and is storing them in warehouses. 

E-commerce is quickly gaining traction as a quick and affordable entree to China's vast retail market, with U.S. brands Costco and Macy's both reportedly planning big new moves into the space. Their strategy reflects an emerging trend that has big Western chains circumventing the traditional retailing route into China, seeking to avoid the big costs and risks that have led to big losses and retreats for names like Best Buy and Home Depot. But the online strategy also carries its own risks.  

Interbrand's 2013 Best Retail Brands Report, which ranks the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands, as well as the leading store brands from around the world, was released today. Interbrand’s brand valuations are based on the firm’s analysis of the financial performance of a retailer, the role a brand plays in shoppers’ purchasing decisions and the competitive strength of a brand.

Yesterday, the court heard Martha Stewart's side of the story, including her reaction when Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren hung up on her. In an emotional testimony, Lundgren described hanging up on Stewart after she revealed that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia had struck a deal with J.C. Penney. The court saw a list of points that Stewart was to cover in the conversation, but she insists she wasn't reading a prepared statement as Lundgren had thought. 

J.C. Penney and Macy's are going head-to-head at the New York Supreme Court over whether Martha Stewart's contract with Macy's prevents J.C. Penney from selling Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia products in certain categories. Opening arguments in the case began yesterday.

Amazon.com, Macy's, Leon Max, and Sears, Roebuck and Co. and its Kmart subsidiaries have agreed to pay $1.26 million in penalties to settle lawsuits filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that they mislead consumers by labeling textiles as made of bamboo, when they were actually Rayon. The FTC charged the retailers violated the Textile Products Identification Act and the FTC's Textile Rules. While so-called bamboo textiles often are promoted as environmentally friendly, the process for manufacturing rayon — even when it's made from bamboo — is far from a "green" one, the FTC said in a statement.