Facebook giving users greater control over ads

It's also expanding the use of consumer data to drive ad placement on user pages.

By Daphne Howland • June 13, 2014

Report: Millennials willing to fill the virtual complaint box

While Gen X and Baby Boomers interact with brands on social media, millennials are much more likely to share complaints online.

By Daphne Howland • June 13, 2014

Lululemon founder votes against board chairman

Chip Wilson, also the company’s biggest shareholder, says Chairman Michael Casey is overly concerned with short-term growth.

By Daphne Howland • June 12, 2014

Gun sales way down at Sportsman's Warehouse

An 18.1% drop in Q1 sales was driven largely by weak demand for firearms and ammunition.

By Daphne Howland • June 12, 2014

Alibaba's U.S. marketplace goes live

The Chinese retail giant aims to look and be different from Amazon.

By Daphne Howland • June 12, 2014

Photoshop: Sometimes less is more

Retail marketers don’t always get the attention they want when they manipulate photos.

By Daphne Howland • June 11, 2014

Amazon playing hardball in dispute with Warner Bros.

The e-commerce giant is not allowing pre-orders of upcoming Warner Bros. movies, a move similar to tactics against book publisher Hachette.

By Daphne Howland • June 11, 2014

Retailers move to stockpile inventory

Retailers are bringing in goods early and by truck so labor issues don’t hurt Christmas inventories.

By Daphne Howland • June 10, 2014

Family Dollar adopts poison pill to shake off possible takeover

The move comes two days after activist investor Carl Icahn became the retailer's largest stakeholder.

By Daphne Howland • June 10, 2014

How Amazon loses even if it wins the Hatchette fight

In its highly publicized dispute with one of the world's biggest publishers, Amazon seems to have lost its footing.

By Daphne Howland • June 9, 2014

Apple may replace headphone jack with Lightning

It's a classic move by Apple, but would customers cotton to the change?

By Daphne Howland • June 9, 2014

Doctors urge drugstores to copy CVS tobacco move

Physicians' pressure on drugstores to quit tobacco sales could speed up the trend.

By Daphne Howland • June 9, 2014

RadioShack getting speedy with same-day repairs

The retailer is piloting “Fix It Here” stations that provide same-day repairs to smartphones and tablets.

By Daphne Howland • June 9, 2014

Retailers already back to school

Backpacks and unsharpened pencils are on the shelves before the bell even rings out the end of the year.

By Daphne Howland • June 9, 2014

Target's changes aimed at younger consumers

The company is making an effort to become as much of a destination, online and off, as it has been for older generations.

By Daphne Howland • June 9, 2014

Pinterest enhancing analytics, testing DIY pins for marketers

The social media network continues to try new ways to make itself more useful to retailers.

By Daphne Howland • June 6, 2014

May sales up at major retailers

Better weather and good prices brought more shoppers to stores last month.

By Daphne Howland • June 6, 2014

Open carry demonstrations giving retailers trouble

Gun owners attempting to demonstrate their right to openly carry guns are making some customers nervous.

By Daphne Howland • June 6, 2014

The state of payment security

Everyone agrees that payments must be more secure, but transactions across all channels remain vulnerable.

By Daphne Howland • June 6, 2014

PayPal reportedly considering bitcoin

But critics say PayPal is itself a viable payment alternative, offering more stability than bitcoin can.

By Daphne Howland • June 5, 2014

Sam's Club first out of the gate with chip-and-PIN credit card

The Wal-Mart Stores Inc.-owned warehouse retailer says its enhanced-security card will be available this month.

By Daphne Howland • June 5, 2014

J. Crew considering a writedown on stores

Operating income and sales are falling as rumors suggest a possible IPO later this year.

By Daphne Howland • June 5, 2014

Retailers turn to Supreme Court on swipe fees

A group of retailers is challenging new rules by the Federal Reserve granting banks the right to charge debit card swipe fees they say are too high.

By Daphne Howland • June 4, 2014

Report calls for higher wages for women in retail

A U.S. think tank leapfrogs over the current debate on the minimum wage, saying that retail workers, especially women, need more to be lifted out of poverty.

By Daphne Howland • June 4, 2014

RadioShack needs more than cost-cutting: shareholders

The electronics retailer says its turn-around is going slowly.

By Daphne Howland • June 4, 2014