Press

As shoppers become increasingly connected, online retailers in 2013 will get back to basics, focusing on strategies and tactics to improve the customer experience and increase web conversion and loyalty across all devices

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.3 percent in January over the same month last year as retailers continue to urge labor and management to avoid a strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast docks, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

Bringing together the world’s leading retailers and their business partners, Retail’s BIG Show is set to commence next week, offering a speaker lineup never seen before. The four-day convention, held January 13-16, 2013 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, will feature topics ranging from digital and mobile retailing to corporate and social responsibility to economic and consumer trends in the new year.

The Dream BIG scholarship will award 10 current retail employees with full tuition at any University of Phoenix program, providing them the opportunity to pair education with work experience and ambitions to pursue a wide-array of career opportunities within the retail industry.

The NRF Foundation and American Express today announced the winners of their annual Aspire2Retail Intercollegiate Challenge, which is designed to increase understanding of diverse career paths in retail by engaging university students in a competitive, collaborative role play that involves implementing a multi-tiered business strategy.

NRF welcomed an agreement reached between the White House and Congress on a plan to avoid the fiscal cliff.

National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay issued the following statement on news that the International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance agreed to extend their contract negotiations for an additional 30 days:

NRF welcomed the House vote on legislation intended to avoid middle-class tax increases in the fiscal cliff, saying progress on the issue is critically important.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold on the breakdown of contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Exchange:

The National Retail Federation today sent a letter to President Obama to express the retail industry’s growing concern if a contract agreement isn’t reached between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. The two sides have been in negotiations, with the assistance of federal mediators, for the past few months with little demonstrable progress. The concern for a coast-wide strike is ever increasing.

Eager holiday shoppers helped drive retail sales upwards in November, helping boost sales in the first half of the pivotal holiday season. According to the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, November retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.8 percent seasonally adjusted from October and increased 4.4 percent unadjusted year-over-year. With this news, NRF is still expecting holiday sales to grow 4.1 percent over last holiday season.

According to NRF’s latest holiday survey conducted by BIGinsight, the average person has completed 56.5 percent of their shopping, up from the 46.5 percent this time last year and the highest percentage in the survey’s 10-year history.

The National Retail Federation announced today that Kofi Annan, formerly Secretary-General of the United Nations will keynote Retail’s BIG Show, January 13-16, 2013 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. Annan’s keynote, “Building Strong Nations: The Three Pillars to a Prosperous Society,” is scheduled for Monday, January 14, 2013 at 8:45 a.m.

Though millions of holiday packages are crossing the country right now en route to their intended doorsteps, many Americans may choose to wait until the last minute to finish their holiday shopping. In 2010 and 2011 the average person still had half of their shopping lists to complete as of mid-December.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the Administration’s inclusion of corporate tax reform in the ongoing fiscal cliff negotiations:

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.9 percent in December despite a strike that closed the nation’s largest port complex for the first few days of the month, but retailers are keeping a close watch on a possible strike on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

The National Retail Federation today issued a letter to the International Longshoremen’s Association and United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd., urging both sides to reach an immediate contract agreement before the December 29 deadline to ensure a secure and dependable supply chain along the East and Gulf Coast ports. The ILA and USMX have been locked in negotiations, assisted by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, since their contract expired on September 30. Another round of contract negotiations is set for next week.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the negotiated settlement between The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit and the Harbor Employers Association at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach: