Top Story

• Cantrell: Shoppers know brands, not channels
  Retailers don't need to choose between online and brick-and-mortar, they need both, Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell told attendees at Retail's BIG Show in a presentation on the digital lessons learned during the holiday season. Digital retail drove record increases in both online and in-store sales during Thanksgiving weekend, as retailers increasingly figured out how to offer the same brand experience across multiple channels, she says in this video of her speech. Shop.org Blog (1/13)     

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Online Retail Trends

• Macy's, a merchant of many channels
  Macy's bucked the slower holiday trends this season, largely because it saw a payoff from its investments in online retail. "The Internet has not only helped Macy's engage and serve new customers, but it has also helped them serve existing customers better," said analyst Liz Dunn. Crain's New York Business (1/13)     

• India's e-commerce set to double in 3 years, investor says
  The fragmented nature of India's retail landscape and challenges in secure payment systems and logistics have kept e-commerce in India relatively small compared to the US and Europe, but that's on track to change, says venture capitalist Avnish Bajaj. Online retail is on track to double to $3 billion by 2015 and may hit $15 billion by 2017, he says. Internet Retailer (1/11)     

New Media & Technology

• Retailers look for the next big thing at NYC conference
  Thousands of retailers are converging on New York City this week, hoping to identify leading trends for the year ahead, Andria Cheng writes in this analysis. Mobile technology and social media will be among the topics under consideration at the National Retail Federation conference. "Showrooming has certainly changed the complexion of the industry and made the differentiation of service and product more important," said The Container Store CEO Kip Tindell. The Wall Street Journal (1/13)     

• Wegmans adds features to mobile app
  Wegmans Food Markets has updated its mobile application to include past-purchase data, more nutrition information and the ability to create and edit multiple shopping lists. The app also lets users e-mail a list to others with notes, organize a list by aisle and scan product codes. Progressive Grocer (1/11)     

• Other News

• Marketers begin to think mobile, social first
  eMarketer (1/9)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by Shop.org SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• 5 tips to create a tablet-ready e-commerce site (Practical eCommerce)

• Why the mobile wallet is poised for a big year (MobileCommerceDaily.com)

• Retailers boost use of retargeting e-mails (Internet Retailer)

• Rakuten to transform, rename Buy.com (Internet Retailer)

• Saks launches digital trend report newsletter (Luxury Daily)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Companies in the News

• Fashion site aims for stylish 40-somethings
  Halsey Schroeder started Halsbrook.com last fall, offering a curated collection of high-end fashions and accessories for women over 40. Schroeder, a 28-year-old graduate of the Harvard Business School, tapped Bloomingdale's veteran Rosemary Audia to help with the site, which has grown to 65 brands since launching last September. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (1/13)     

• Google debuts digital-coupon system for online retailers
  Google has unveiled Zavers, a service that lets online merchants offer coupons and monitor the success of promotions. The system works with retailers' checkout page, so discounts are automatically applied without shoppers having to type in a code, the company says. American City Business Journals/San Jose, Calif. (1/11)     

• NRF names Amazon's Bezos "Retailer of the Year"
  NRF will make history at Retail's BIG Show today when it hands its annual Gold Award to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, making Amazon the first web-only merchant to win the trade group's top retailer award. The selection reflects the rapidly changing retail scene, said NRF's Mike Gatti. "Brick-and-mortar companies have gone onto the Web, and now some Internet pure-plays are having discussions about opening stores," he said. The Seattle Times (1/13)     

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Interactive Advertising

• Local mobile campaigns generate more clicks for national brands
  Evidence is growing that local, location-based mobile campaigns can pay off for national brands. Data from xAd show mobile local display ad click-thru rates of 0.72%, compared with a 8.13% rate for mobile local search and 0.1% for mobile overall. "We know ads generate user intent, so craft the campaigns to include click-to-call links or an easy way to get directions for those that rely on foot traffic. It provides a tool to measure performance," said Mike Boland of BIA/Kelsey's Mobile Local Media practice. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (1/11)     

Shop.org Spotlight

• Watch Walmart U.S. CEO's keynote live from Retail's BIG Show
  Tuesday's keynote from Retail's BIG Show 2013 featuring Bill Simon, Walmart U.S. president and CEO, will be live-streamed Jan. 15 at 8:30 a.m. EST from New York City. Simon will address thousands of retailers about the need for the retail industry's leadership on issues such as the economy and job creation. Keynotes from Sunday and Monday at Retail's BIG Show are already available to watch free on-demand. Register to watch for free.     

• Shop.org SmartStat: Jan. 14, 2013
  Almost 90% of consumers in emerging markets are connected via mobile, compared to 113% in mature markets. Source: GS&MD via Retail's BIG Show 2013. Retail's BIG Blog (1/13)     

• SORO survey finds mobile sales growth increasing rapidly
  The latest edition of Shop.org and Forrester Research's State of Online Retailing survey found that, on average, retailers experienced a 129% lift in year-over-year sales from smartphones and a 178% lift from tablets in 2012. Retailers also said site optimization was a top priority in the year ahead, in an effort to design the site for an enhanced checkout experience and include adjustments to accommodate a responsive design framework. Read more.     

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Editor's Note

• Up-to-the-minute social coverage of Retail's BIG Show 2013
  Whether you're attending Retail's BIG Show in NYC this week or just eager for the latest updates, check out NRF SmartBrief's Storify live feed, which curates the best and most important social content about the event.