Macy’s Inc. M, +0.06% is partnering with Facebook Inc. FB, +0.32% to bring nearly 150 brands to The Market @ Macy’s in nine stores during the holidays. The Market brings brands to some of the department store retailer’s most trafficked stores, and the Facebook partnership will add small businesses and e-commerce brands to physical locations. The company is also expanding the virtual and augmented reality furniture shopping experience to 69 stores nationwide by early November. During the pilot, Macy’s found that the tech addition grew the average basket size by more than 60%. And use of the VR installation lowered the number of returns. Macy’s has added virtual mirror technology that showcases more than 250 beauty products, and they’re testing it for the mobile app, and technology is being used to enhance training of beauty associates. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is getting a boost to improve store operations. Macy’s shares have rallied 39.6% for the year to date, outpacing the S&P 500 index SPX, +0.13% which is up 8.1% for the period.