Now that Walmart (WMT) has again renewed its chase to merchandise consumer electronics on the level of leader Best Buy (BBY), Target (TGT) is saying that it, too, will be expanding the electronics and videogame sections of its stores to the tune of 30%. Is this another "me too" announcement from Target, or does it have the gall to try and chase Walmart, let alone present consumer electronics (and get the sell-through) as good as Best Buy?

Video games are a no-brainer: very little shelf space for the amount of product and the markup is quite nice. Although this category has flopped a bit recently, it's still lucrative for mass retailers. But Target can't be left behind, either. In 2009, many of its customers flocked back to bargain-basement Walmart to save money as the recession turned everyone into penny-pinchers. Walmart gained; Target, no so much.

Continue reading Target Joins Walmart in Expanding Electronics, Video Game Categories

Target Joins Walmart in Expanding Electronics, Video Game Categories originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 May 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target Set to Test Smaller, Urban Stores

Target Set to Test Smaller, Urban Stores originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After Walmart (WMT) announced home theater and other installation services in 2009, fellow retailer Target (TGT) will now be doing the same. Mostly, Target wants to be the retailer of choice for flat-panel televisions and grab installation services in that arena as well. Target's new install service will be provided by Zip Express Installation, and most likely won't affect Target in any way, shape or form.

Have you been into a Target or SuperTarget recently? The flat-panel television lineup and merchandising is absolutely atrocious compared to retailers like Walmart (which has stepped up its game considerably in consumer electronics), Best Buy (BBY) and even wholesale retailers like Costco Wholesale (COST). Is Target just playing the "me too" game or does it really think having this installation service will make those considering a flat-panel television flock to its doors?

Continue reading Target to Try Its Hand at Home Installation Services

Target to Try Its Hand at Home Installation Services originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Looking back on what became a tough end to a tough year for the retail sector, the one bright spot was the online sector. Shoppers whipped out their plastic at a record rate on Black Friday, a trend that continued throughout the season.

The Amazon (AMZN) Kindle killed the competition, reinforcing the status of the online channel as the future of the retail business. Social media, in particular, had its first real test this year, as many companies -- including Best Buy (BBY), JCPenney (JCP) and Target (TGT) -- used the likes of Twitter and Facebook to engage customers, publicize sales and generally increase revenue. The next stage in the evolution, of course, is to use shopping behavior to trigger viral results.

Continue reading Can Shopping Go Viral?

Can Shopping Go Viral? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Retailers appear to have been rescued at the last minute, according to data from the International Council of Shopping Centers. Shoppers looking for deals the week before Christmas -- and making up for the day lost to stormy weather on the East Coast -- spent aggressively, sparing the retail sector a dismal 2008-like performance.

The healthy conclusion to the holiday season led to a positive change from November and made December one of only three months (including September and October) in which retail sales increased year-over-year.

Continue reading Retailers Post Solid December, but Consumer Still Strapped

Retailers Post Solid December, but Consumer Still Strapped originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The holidays have ended, and the real sales have begun. Those choosing to sacrifice sentimentality for savings found retailers only too willing to help, as prices were slashed in the wake of the Christmas rush. Recipients of gift cards stand to see their purchasing power extended, as well, now that redemption time has arrived, and retailers are looking to squeeze in any extra sales they can to pump up their top lines before the books close on the fiscal year, which, for many, comes at the end of January.

Toys "R" Us has offered a deal on Nintendo (NTDOY) Wii games, with the second coming at half price, and Target (TGT) is nearly halving the price of wine glasses and dropping the tag on an argyle women's sweater by nearly a third. Walmart (WMT), which kicked off its cuts at the end of September, is throwing a $50 gift card on top of any Microsoft (MSFT) Xbox 360 buy.

Continue reading After Christmas, Retailers Pick Up the Pieces

After Christmas, Retailers Pick Up the Pieces originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Have you ever gone to a website and kicked the tires? Well, uTest, a Boston-based startup, pulled 600 software professionals together from 20 countries to do exactly that.

The company, which has a bench of 21,000 professional testers from 159 countries, wanted to see which of the three major retail websites -- those run by Amazon.com (AMZN), Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT) -- is the least buggy. The winner: Amazon.

Continue reading Study: Target website buggy, Amazon takes top honors

Study: Target website buggy, Amazon takes top honors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Two months of momentum and Black Friday weren't enough to make November a winner for retailers. The holiday shopping season kickoff was up only 0.5% year-over-year, and the month as a whole saw retail sales fall 0.3% year-over-year. As if the drop weren't bad enough, it's a decline on top of last year's November retail freefall, which means we went from bad to worse.

Meanwhile, analysts had expected a strong increase. U.S. government data on retail sales isn't due to be reported until December 11, 2009, and it's expected to be a better indicator of the sector's performance. The data released Thursday doesn't include sales by Wal-Mart (WMT).

Continue reading Retail sales fell in November, surprising analysts

Retail sales fell in November, surprising analysts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Stores were busy on Black Friday, as deals lured recession-weary consumers out of their homes. The spending was cautious, but the crowds and transactions signaled strength.

Nonetheless, retailers are still concerned that the momentum is only temporary. With consumer spending still under pressure because of high unemployment, there's a risk that holiday shopping may not reach the levels the stores would like to see. The day after Thanksgiving is usually the hottest of the year and can account for close to 20% of annual retail sales.

Continue reading Black Friday busy, but momentum may not hold

Black Friday busy, but momentum may not hold originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Santa hasn't even been tugged down Central Park West yet, and Wal-Mart (WMT) is already slashing its prices. The market among major retailers is intensifying, with many offering products as loss leaders in order to entice customers into the store (physical or otherwise) and boost their basket sizes. Along with Target (TGT) and Amazon (AMZN), Walmart is slashing DVD prices, the same tactic it's using with books.

Retailers are rushing to undercut each other this year, which is causing prices to spiral down quickly. When Walmart announced reduced prices on several titles to $10, Amazon followed at $9.99, with Walmart stepping back in at $9.98.

Continue reading Walmart, Amazon now slash DVD prices: What's next?

Walmart, Amazon now slash DVD prices: What's next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There's a chill in the air and a slight up-tick in confidence. Holiday discounts are coming a bit earlier, too. For retailers, this has been a great combination, leading to the second consecutive month in which retail sales increased.

This follows more than a year of drops. Consumers aren't going crazy, but they are loosening their wallets a little bit. Consumer spending accounts for 70% of the U.S. economy, and the coming holiday season is where the action is -- for the retail sector and, consequently, for everyone else.

Continue reading Retail sales: Signs of life, but not yet a rising tide

Retail sales: Signs of life, but not yet a rising tide originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Once upon a time, retailers measured success by the number of people walking by in the mall, how many entered the store, the percentage they spent, and basket size. Now, a world of zeroes and ones has changed their perspective entirely. Social media is expected to be the star during the coming holiday season, with retailers pushing Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter content to get in front of consumers and affect either online or in-store purchases. Smaller Christmas budgets are expected, so the fight is on to garner as large a share as possible of a shrinking pie.

Of course, nobody would come out and say, "Social media is nonsense, and I'm not getting anything for my investment." So, when the likes of Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), JCPenney (NYSE: JCP), and Target (NYSE: TGT) say that social media is connecting them with their customers and leading to more effective campaigns and product launches, do take it with a grain of salt. What can't be ignored, however, is that they're committing more resources to social media marketing, even though it's still far too soon to tell if it will be effective.

Continue reading Retailers push social media, want bigger wallet share for Christmas

Retailers push social media, want bigger wallet share for Christmas originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Toys R Us bought FAO Schwarz in May and is now ready to do something interesting with it.

It's a pretty bold move for a tough retail market. Toys R Us is opening FAO Schwarz boutiques in some of its stores. It's also relaunching the upscale toy seller's website, FAO.com. A year ago, this would have been suicide, but now, it might work out. With retailers in every sector fighting for an edge, this move may beef up the Toys R Us in-store experience, with the online play helping it reach higher-spending consumers that may not have access to an FAO brick-and-mortar spot.

Continue reading Toys R Us opening FAO Schwarz boutiques for the holidays

Toys R Us opening FAO Schwarz boutiques for the holidays originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Consumers are finally spending more, with September posting the first gain in more than a year. The International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) found that retail sales inched 0.1% higher last month. It doesn't seem like much, but a gain when you anticipate a fall is good news magnified. But, it came at the expense of great deals and other tools to entice somewhat hesitant customers into stores.

Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) and Limited Brands (NYSE: LTD) reported sales increases in September for stores open more than a year. J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP), Macy's (NYSE: M) and Target (NYSE: TGT) posted declines, but they were better than expected. Delayed school openings thanks to a late Labor Day helped push to September sales that might have occurred in August otherwise.

Of course, all eyes are on the coming holiday season. The National Retail Federation forecasts U.S. consumer spending of $437.6 billion - up only slightly from $433.7 billion four years ago. So, we still have a lot of ground to make up before we can celebrate a recovery. As long as the situation is staying steady, though, we'll at least have a solid starting point.

Consumers' wallets peeking open originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MasterCard Advisors (NYSE: MA) service SpendingPulse says luxury and electronics sales headed upward last month, in a pleasant deviation from what became the norm all too long ago. A few other product categories posted gains as well - showing stability, if not a recovery. But, at this stage of the game, we'll take what we can get, right?

Luxury sales, not including jewelry, gained 3.4% year-over-year - that's an increase of $891 million. Last September, luxury goods suffered a 9.4% decline. Yet, this category is still below its September 2005 level of $94 million. Jewelry sales gained 1.2% relative to last year, compared to a year-over-year decline of 5.8% a year ago. Compared to apparel sales, this is a profound turn. In September 2008, the clothing category was off 5.7%, and this September, it was down only 2.9%.

Continue reading Luxury spending on the rise

Luxury spending on the rise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target to increase marketing spending for the remainder of 2009

Target to increase marketing spending for the remainder of 2009 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target: a retailer and a REIT

Target: a retailer and a REIT originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target to start stocking fresh food in its stores to revive sales

Target to start stocking fresh food in its stores to revive sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 May 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Target layoffs at headquarters; it's not just store employees getting axed

Target layoffs at headquarters; it's not just store employees getting axed originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Target's same-store sales in December down 4.1% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.