HomeGoods has finally launched its highly anticipated eCommerce platform. This is a major shakeup for the brick-and-mortar retailer which has 820 stores in 47 states. HomeGoods is one of the nation’s most popular off-price retailers of home decor, and a popular punchline in many millennial memes.
The eCommerce store launched with a curated selection of bedding, bath, kitchen, seasonal decor, pet and storage products. The company said new finds would be added regularly, and the online store would soon expand, offering a wider array of seasonal products.
While the online experience has a chaotic “treasure hunt” vibe like the store, larger pieces of furniture such as chairs are currently unavailable.
One of the newer features of HomeGoods.com is the Idea Shop. Shoppers looking for extra inspiration or curated products will browse this breakdown of categories including Global Discoveries, Fall Finds, and Made in Europe. There’s also an option to shop by room.
TJX CEO Ernie Herrman said that the HomeGoods online shop would be complementary to its physical stores. "We believe this is something our existing customers have been waiting for, and there's another way for us to attract new shoppers," according to a Seeking Alpha transcript.
Coming off of an unprecedented year for in-store foot traffic, off price retailers had to scramble to get with the times and go digital. MKM Partners analyst Roxanne Meyer noted in April of 2020 that off-price was "worst positioned given they are solely reliant on store traffic returning, which could take time." Traffic and sales have slowly started to recover for off-pricers, the digital question remains to be seen.
The list of enemies that eCommerce giant Amazon has accumulated seems to grow daily. This time, a victim of the department store purge Macy’s, has something to say... in court.
Macy's iconic flagship store on 34th Street in Manhattan, one of the country’s most recognizable bricks and mortar department store locations in the world, is under fresh assault from Amazon, which apparently wants to advertise on the massive billboard adjacent to the store.
In the lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, the department store retailer said there has been a restrictive covenant in place since 1963 barring the billboard space from being used by any Macy's competitor. The terms of that agreement, and all subsequent agreements, included a clause that the billboard's owners "shall be limited forever" from selling space on it to any other "establishment selling at retail or directly to any consumer."
The lawsuit also points out that the billboard is highly visible in its legendary annual Thanksgiving Day parade, which is nationally televised.
Here’s where things get fishy. Amazon is apparently considering opening brick-and-mortar outlets of its own, similar to department stores. Could the strategically placed billboards be the first pawn in asserting its dominance over department store mainstays? Knowing Amazon, it's surely a possibility.
This story is one we’ll be watching.
The rise of No-Code tools for website builders and online sellers makes site building more accessible, and less daunting. As companies catch wind of this trend, we’ll begin to see more and more advancements, and a wider array of offerings in the space.
One of the latest tools to come onto the scene is EcomSolid, a no-code visual editor for Shopify so businesses can deliver amazing online buying experiences to their customers.
EcomSolid offers theme & page templates for easy setup, opportunity to boost conversion with addons, and the ability to mix & match 17+ sections and 150+ layouts. The best part is not a single one of these offerings requires any coding or backend knowledge.
The company points out that Since 2009, Shopify has grown to be one of the leading eCommerce platforms, empowering over 20% of the global businesses and startups to build their online presence. After years spent working in Tech Support, their founder noticed that not everyone is an expert developer, designer, or marketer to build the exact look and feel of their brand on Shopify. They acknowledged that you shouldn’t have to be a computer scientist to run an online business.
ECom Solid bridges that gap.
As we speak, the company is working on adding more diverse templates and sections, and easier autosave features. Look for more improvements in the near future.
Read more about No-Code tools on our blog.
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