Nordstrom’s e-commerce bet pays off big

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Over $1 billion in direct sales. That’s what Nordstrom raked in according to their fiscal year 2012 report, a first in the company’s history. Overall sales grew by 12.1 percent year-over-year with e-commerce achieving an impressive 37 percent growth. Those numbers put Nordstrom 4.8 percent ahead of comparable retailers according to Internet Retailer. Why the success? Understanding that if… Read More…

NBA returning to Seattle thanks to Steve Ballmer

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We heard two weeks ago that the NBA might be back in Seattle. Now we have some confirmation and assurance. Several legitimate sources, including ESPN, Yahoo! Sports and The Seattle Times, were all out with stories late Sunday night that reported a done deal between the Maloof family and a Seattle investment group that is led… Read More…

Microsoft, Nordstrom, Starbucks make Fortune’s 100 best companies to work for

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Six Washington companies made it to Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list this year, with Microsoft (75), Nordstrom (88) and Starbucks (95) all making the list. REI was the top-ranked Washington-based company, coming in at No. 17. Law firm Perkins Coie was next at No. 33, while The Everett Clinic ranked 58th. Google ranked… Read More…

Nordstrom exec maneuvers online as Amazon.com threat looms

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A few months ago, we wrote a story on GeekWire about the growing rivalry between two iconic Seattle brands: Amazon.com and Nordstrom. But how big of a threat is Amazon to the Nordstrom franchise? Pretty big. Reuters this week profiles Jamie Nordstrom, the 40-year-old great grandson of John W. Nordstrom who is leading the retailer’s… Read More…

Nordstrom debuts iPad app with virtual ‘dressing room’

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Nordstrom is extending its reach to the iPad with a free app that lets customers browse and buy clothes and accessories from the Apple tablet, part of a broader effort by the Seattle retailer to upgrade its digital storefront. No, there’s no in-app version of those famously attentive salespeople, but there is a virtual dressing… Read More…

Groupon pays $8.5M in settlement over voucher expirations at Nordstrom, other retailers

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Groupon has agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that expiration dates and other restrictions on the company’s vouchers violated federal and state law, and unfairly prevented consumers from receiving products and services purchased through the daily deals service. Notifications of the settlement were emailed to affected Groupon customers this week…. Read More…

Nordstrom pays the price for bigger e-commerce investment

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Nordstrom is making a large investment in its e-commerce initiatives, spending even more than it had planned to better compete with the likes of Amazon.com. And in the short run, at least, Wall Street is taking the company to task for the move, sending its shares down nearly 5 percent in trading today, after Nordstrom’s earnings… Read More…

Amazon tops e-retail satisfaction survey with highest score ever

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Amazon.com has few physical touch points with its customers, operating somewhat mysteriously from its headquarters in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood. No stores. No customer support line. But that lack of interaction doesn’t seem to be holding the company back. In fact, customers love the company more than ever, according to ForeSee’s Top 100 E-Retail… Read More…

Amazon vs. Nordstrom: Call in the fashion police for another crosstown rivalry

Why is Jeff Bezos so happy?

We wondered what the heck was going on a few weeks ago when Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos was named the honorary chair of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit – a gala taking place in New York this evening to celebrate the opening of a fashion exhibit titled “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.” But now it’s… Read More…

Nordstrom bets on Bonobos, leads $16.4M investment in online fashion retailer

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Earlier this year, Nordstrom announced that it planned to spend $150 million on boosting its e-commerce infrastructure, part of a larger effort by the Seattle retailer to capture shoppers as they increasingly move online. Today, Nordstrom is adding to its arsenal, announcing that it is leading a $16.4 million investment in five-year-old men’s online fashion… Read More…