The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that Indigo Books & Music posted a net loss of $28.5-million or $1.02 per share in the first quarter of its 2024 fiscal year. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes that in the same period last year Indigo posted a loss of $25.4-million or 91 cents. Indigo says inflation and multiple interest-rate hikes have dampened spending and put pressure on retail sales. In response, customers have delayed discretionary purchases, which compose a large proportion of the stuff Indigo sells. For the second quarter in a row, Indigo's sales were also affected by a debilitating ransomware attack that the company disclosed in early February. The attack took Indigo's e-commerce website off-line and compromised sensitive employee data. The lingering effects of the attack included a weaker on-line marketing presence -- since the hack affected Indigo's optimization abilities that help it to show up on search engines, as well as its express pickup for on-line orders. The attack also led to difficulties replenishing inventory, affecting product availability in stores and on-line. Indigo recently launched a new website aimed at improving its on-line shopping experience.