While some retailers experienced increased sales during the 2011 holiday season, Sears Holdings Corp. is closing up to 120 Sears and Kmart locations due to lackluster sales. In total, income during the eight-week period before Christmas was down 5.2%, while year-to-date purchase fell 2.6%.

In a statement released on Dec. 27, 2011, Sears Holdings Corp. revealed that the company’s yearly earnings were expected to be less than half of its 2010 income of $933 million. Lower sales, increased margin pressure and high expense rates were all causes of the company’s downfall, according to Lou D’Ambrosio, CEO of Sears Holdings Corp.

Note: This article is a first-hand recap of The Big Show: NRF 2012, delivered in four sections by the editors of Retail TouchPoints.

Retail TouchPoints was out in force at the 101st NRF Big Show last week — attending sessions, meeting with solution providers, shooting videos and sharing industry insights with passersby at the RTP booth. Collectively, RTP editors met with more than 100 industry executives including retailers, solution providers, and industry analysts.  In this article, we are sharing each editor’s personal perspective on the show, including insights on industry trends and hot topics.

This past year, for the first time ever, I did all of my holiday shopping online.  I didn’t set foot inside the mall or buy any gifts at crowded stores.  And, while I might have been shopping in solitude, I certainly wasn’t alone.  comScore reported a 15.3% increase in online shopping between Nov. 1 and Dec. 26 as customers spent $37 billion on e-Commerce sites, which is a new record for those of you who are keeping track.  Cyber Monday alone brought in $1.25 billion ― the heaviest online shopping day in history ― and Green Monday wasn’t far behind, with $1.1 billion.  All in all, there were 10 shopping days this past holiday season that surpassed the $1 billion mark in online sales.

When referring to all the shopping that went on between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day 2011, the term “holiday” has been replaced by a different modifier — mobile.

Millions turned to their handheld devices to buy everything from lawn ornaments to winter tires and hunting decoys, all purchased with the tap of a finger.

To gauge the level of mobile shopping, Ability Commerce, an e-Commerce software developer, took a close look at its clients’ mobile shopping figures during the holiday period. We found that mobile buying trended up steadily, likely because of our clients’ clearly identified mobile strategies.

More interesting, we uncovered a fevered skirmish going on among the top mobile operating systems. With all the Android tablets and smartphones hitting the market, plus a raft of new tablets and several Apple iOS devices, the mobile market was flooded this year. We discovered a host of interesting statistics about how each operating system fared in mobile shopping in 2011. Android transactions (including Android smartphones and tablets) surged 52% from 2010, while Apple iOS device transactions (iPhones and iPads combined) were up 338%.

Editors' note: We have simplified the Retail TouchPoints Solution Spotlight. The new form is available here.

The proliferation of mobile devices and channels has changed the way consumers interact with technologies. Retail time clocks, however, have remained unchanged and cannot assimilate employees’ new technology habits. To address this challenge, Kronos Incorporated created the InTouch time clock, aimed at helping retailers streamline and mobilize workforce management.

The InTouch solution is an electronic time clock that allows retailers to automate time capture and provide full employee self-service capabilities. Launched in November 2011, the cloud-based InTouch time clock integrates with many other workforce management technologies: Employees can use the solution to check accrual balances, request time off and view schedules, all in real time.