Nordstrom

When it comes to selling luxury via social media, some brands are far more artful than others, according to a new analysis of social-media platforms from L2's latest report. The report ranked some 250 prestige brands across 15 social media platforms. Swarovski is batting a thousand and present on all of them, followed by fast-fashion chain Uniqlo, active on 13. 

In an effort to emulate the data gained in the realm of online shopping, and improve the in-store shopping experience, brick-and-mortar retailers are testing new technologies to learn about their customers. Last autumn, Nordstrom implemented in-store technology that followed Wi-Fi signals of smartphones and other mobile devices to track customers' movements throughout the store. This Wi-Fi tracking, combined with the use of video surveillance, allowed Nordstrom to learn information about its customers like sex, age, how many minutes were spent in a particular aisle or department before deciding to buy merchandise, how

High-end department stores are slumming … sort of. At pricey apparel retailers such as Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales, outlet stores may soon outnumber traditional locations, according to a new report by Bloomberg Industries. In fact, they already do at Saks and Nordstrom. Some 60 percent of Saks locations are now outlets, and all but two of the 15 stores it plans to open in the next two years will be discount centers. Nordstrom meanwhile has 127 "Rack" outlets and plans to open another 17 by the end of the year.

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?

A dapper elderly man stands at Nordstrom's front entrance, humming an Italian tune and smiling at customers as they enter the store's double doors. One woman stops for conversation. A pair of young girls wave to him as they exit the department store, bags in hand. A customer stopped by a few days ago to give him a gift card, just because. Shoppers often pause to take his picture, or even ask him for a hug. Meet Ted DiNunzio, the 99-year-old greeter for the Nordstrom store at Westfield Santa Anita mall who

Pinterest and online shopping — it's a match made in retail heaven. But Nordstrom is trying to bridge the gap between online shopping and the in-store experience by bringing Pinterest to life. According to GigaOM, Nordstrom has begun labeling its "Top Pinned Items" in stores with a Pinterest logo, alerting shoppers which items are the most popular online. The program, currently in place at 13 Nordstrom locations, is a good idea on the most basic level.

KKR & Co., the private equity firm run by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, is weighing an investment in Saks and may seek a merger with rival Neiman Marcus, said people with knowledge of the matter. The deliberations may not lead to a transaction, said one of the people, who asked not to be named as the process is private. It wasn't immediately clear whether KKR had approached New York-based Saks. Merging the two would create an upscale department-store chain with more than $7 billion in annual sales

Privacy advocates have an entirely new worry to keep them awake at night. National retailers like Nordstrom and Home Depot, working with a company called Euclid Analytics, have devised a method for tracking shoppers in their stores. The service identifies shoppers' smartphones by requests the devices make for Wi-Fi, even if they aren't connecting to the store's network.

Michael Kors 553,161 956,368 73% CVS 7,273,276 10,877,674 50% American Apparel 380,814 534,573

Nordstrom, the conservative, upscale Seattle-based retailer, is going after a younger, hipper customer with a new, quirky regional online brand campaign.The retailer — which traditionally has handled the creative work for its advertising in-house — has hired Mekanism to develop the new campaign, aimed at promoting the concept of "Youphoria." This includes videos featuring young adults involved in activities like chopping wood or riding a motorcycle while fashionably dressed.