This Kraft brand is one hot dog when it comes to creating seamless customer experiences
Perrigo educates consumers about store brand medications with a digitally-focused multichannel campaign
It's no secret! Digital and sampling are top-notch marketing agents
The big red star retailer celebrates America with integrated marketing campaign
What will it be like to shop Walmart in 2016? The retail giant works to build out a next-gen experience.
Marketers should invest in channels with proven ROI instead of constantly exploring new frontiers, says ExactTarget.
Outdoor garment and equipment retailer Marmot brings the in-store experience online.
Customer engagement is the secret ingredient in this pretzel company's campaign
TD Bank's CMO stresses clarity and the ability to relate as key elements of a successful marketing campaign.
Online holiday shoppers give store.apple.com its worst customer experience ratings in years. Amazon, meanwhile, continues to preside majestically atop the e-com heap.
To get readers off to a good start in the new year, we asked experts to help set their 2013 agendas in Big Data, loyalty, mobile marketing, and more.
An OpinionLab report reveals consumers' needs for a multichannel shopping experience this holiday season
IBM, Google, and Adobe break down the trends from this weekend's shopping extravaganza
The steady maturation of mobile and social media as marketing channels has turned Black Friday into Black November.
More mature customers will shop online this year to avoid surly service at retail, a new survey says.
Facebook's new analytics tool will measure customer acquisition based on parameters set by the advertiser.
Google unveils tools to help consumers navigate the "nonline" shopping space for the holidays and beyond.
Epsilon, the marketing services division of Alliance Data Systems, has agreed to acquire Hyper Marketing for approximately $460 million.
Combining executional, analytical, and operational marketing produces accountability and enables improved activity-based costing
The retailer bulks up its member rewards program as part of its holiday integrated retail approach.
Hearst's fashion publication interweaves print with e-commerce to travel from pages to products.
In-store comparison shopping via smartphone is predicted to rise this holiday season. But savvy retailers are starting to use mobile technology to keep showroomers' dollars in their stores.
The opening of Japan-based clothing retailer Uniqlo's first ecommerce site earlier this week signaled yet another step in the company's plans for aggressive North American expansion.
Brands home in on how and when to target holiday shoppers.
A new study finds that search, email, and direct visits remain the chief conduits for online purchasers. Fewer than 1% of transactions can be traced to social links.
SumAll's e-commerce data reveals that customers are shaving off browsing time but spending more.
Balance Rewards launches at 7,900 stores this week, making it the most widely available loyalty program at drugstore chains.
The retailer is launching its Hot Toy Reservation program to help harried holiday shoppers and drive in-store sales.
There are three inevitabilities in the world: death, taxes, and information silos—but Aprimo is attempting to drive customer engagement with a tool designed to link marketing and the contact center.
E-commerce solution calculates international shipping costs for online merchants.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car's new television creative, combined with its digital assets, underscore the automotive rental company's "dramatically shifted" media mix.
HubSpot announced the launch of HubSpot 3, an integrated platform designed to enable marketers to provide more personalization compared to previous software iterations.
Barnes & Noble College Marketing report says television is the most effective form of advertising for college students. The study also found that 55% of students say Facebook is not the best targeting platform.
As Seen On TV announced Aug. 10 that it will acquire direct response weight loss concern eDiets.com in an all-stock transaction valued near $13 million.
Auto and home insurance provider Liberty Mutual will debut its "Humans" integrated marketing campaign July 28 across the United States with the advent of the Summer Olympic Games.
In its annual 2012 Holiday Trend Report released today, Epsilon found that consumers are looking to make big holiday purchases early in the season, as well as in the weeks after Christmas.
The DMA, ACMA, ERA, and NetChoice have banded together to form the True Simplication of Taxation (TruST) Coalition.
TiVo, Inc. is finalizing its $20 million acquisition of TRA, a media measurement software and analytics company.
Best Buy Canada has selected Stibo Systems to optimize its online and mobile e-commerce sites.
KANA Software, Inc. has acquired contact center technologies provider Sword Ciboodle
Expand2Web has partnered with Cashie Commerce to launch an integrated e-commerce plug-in on its website offerings.
E-commerce platform Payvment has launched its one-click Facebook ad buying service to help show advertisers how many Facebook members they can reach with their proposed budget.
Google has launched a program to increase sales for merchants and help e-commerce shoppers in the U.S. feel more confident in their purchases.
UPS and Bridgeline Digital signed a multiyear agreement to integrate Bridgeline's e-commerce platform with UPS's backend warehouse management software, into an end-to-end solution called Total eCommerce.
Walmart.com president and CEO Joel Anderson said mobile will be key to the future of successful e-commerce sites during his June 6 keynote address at the Internet Retailer Convention & Exhibition.
Calif.-based MyBuys announced a new service that takes a long view when it comes to personalized display.
The Psychic Friends Network is partnering with digital marketing solutions provider New Media Plus for a mid-June revamp of the PFNI website.
Seattle-based social rewards company Lockerz acquired online fashion community Chick Approved.
Following former CEO Scott Thompson's departure, restructuring is on the agenda for Yahoo.
Land O'Lakes is using the enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution OneWorld, NetSuite announced May 16 at SuiteWorld 2012 in San Francisco, the business software provider's annual conference.
Skechers USA Inc. has agreed to settle FTC charges that the company made unfounded and deceitful claims about the benefits of its Shape-Ups fitness shoes.
Sears Holdings Corp. launched hyper-local shopping sites for all of their U.S. locations May 7, an initiative that's intended to drive online consumers into Sears stores, said Tom Aiello, division VP of marketing at Sears Holdings Management Corporation.
With the increase of customer touchpoints, brands are seeking to implement seamless cross-channel marketing strategies.
Magento, a division of eBay company X.commerce and a provider of open-source e-commerce software, released HTML5 enhancements to its Enterprise 1.12 and Community Edition 1.7 e-commerce platforms, said Roy Rubin, GM of Magento and chief product and customer officer at X.commerce.
Offerpop, a provider of social media marketing platforms, launched two complementary Facebook apps designed to stimulate e-commerce sales: Look Book and Deals, said Mark Cooper, co-founder and CMO of Offerpop.
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) launched today an integrated campaign for its new 2013 Mazda CX-5 small crossover SUV, said John Abel, marketing director of Mazda North America. The campaign, called "Better. Stronger. Smarter." is designed to generate online social buzz by encouraging employees, key brand influencers and enthusiasts to interact with the ads and sharing them via social media channels.
HSN, formerly known as The Home Shopping Network, has partnered with Universal Pictures to launch a multichannel shopping day that also promotes Universal's film Snow White and the Huntsman, said Brad Bohnert, HSN's director of PR and events. The 24-hour shopping day is scheduled for May 30, before the film's release on June 1.
Smartphone owners that use their handhelds for shopping prefer mobile websites over mobile apps, Nielsen revealed Mar. 12. These statistics, compiled during the 2011 holiday season by metering 5000 US-based volunteers visiting top-five retail mobile sites and apps, was based on information gathered by Nielsen Smartphone Analytics, said Nielsen communications analyst Matthew Hurst.
The U.S. Justice Department has warned Apple, as well as five major U.S. publishers, that an antitrust lawsuit may be brought against them for colluding to increase the prices of e-books, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 8.
Staples full-year 2011 sales increased 2% year-over-year to $25 billion, while net income grew approximately 12% to $985 million, the company said Feb. 29. Updates to the Staples.com website and the development of new mobile apps drove this growth, said Ronald Sargent, Staples's chairman and CEO in an investor's call.
Retailers could be doing much more to improve their marketing on mobile and tablet devices, according to a report released on Feb. 16.
Google, Amazon, Apple, and Facebook will continue to dominate online business, but Internet retailers and marketers should tread carefully in partnering with them, according to a Feb. 7 Forrester report.
Groupon reported a 419% increase in 2011 revenue to $1.6 billion, the company said in its first earnings report as a public company on Feb. 8.
Amazon claims that the state of Arizona has served the online company a tax bill for $53 million for uncollected sales tax.
Office supply retailer Staples is launching a new e-commerce site that optimized specifically for shopping on tablet computers.
Visitors to consumer package goods (CPG) e-commerce websites spend 37% more in retail stores than consumers who do not visit the brand sites, according to a Jan. 30 study by comScore, Accenture and dunnhumbyUSA.
Staples will open an e-commerce innovation center in Massachusetts in May that will house teams "responsible for designing and implementing innovative new e-commerce solutions" for Staples' business customers, the company said in a Jan. 26 statement.
Netflix said Jan. 25 that it saw $876 million in global revenue in Q4, a year-over-year increase of 47%, although it spent nearly 60% less on marketing in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared with the same period of the prior year.
JCPenney is getting a new logo and is completely revamping its pricing, branding, promotions, as well as refreshing its stores, the retailer's new CEO Ron Johnson announced Jan. 25.
FYI Direct is launching an integrated campaign for its FreeScore.com brand, a company that gives free credit scores online. Two new TV commercials will begin airing on Feb. 6 along with online efforts.
Sam's Club president and CEO Brian Cornell will resign his position and be replaced by Rosalind Brewer, president of Wal-Mart U.S. East , effective Feb. 1, Sarah Spencer, Wal-Mart's director of national media relations, confirmed Jan. 20.
EBay recorded $11.7 billion in net revenue for 2011, a 27% increase compared with the prior year. The company's net income for the year also spiked, jumping 79% year-over-year to $3.2 billion.
Marketing executive Neil Ashe has joined Wal-mart Stores as president and CEO of the company's global e-commerce business. Ashe is replacing Eduardo Castro-Wright, who is retiring but who will assist in the transition, the retailer confirmed Jan. 17.
Retailer Ralph Lauren "blends merchandising and entertainment" to tell the story that surrounds its products, a tactic essential to keeping an iconic brand relevant in the technologically developing retail world, said David Lauren, Ralph Lauren's EVP of advertising, marketing and corporate communications, at the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 101st Big Show on Jan. 17.
Macy's discussed loyalty tactics and shared details about MyMacy's, its consumer-centric collaboration with dunnhumby USA, at the National Retail Federation Big Show on Jan. 16 in New York City.
Total U.S. retail sales generated an estimated $400.6 billion in December, an increase of 6.5% compared with the same month last year, according to a Jan. 12 report from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Total sales for the 2011 calendar year increased 7.7% to $4.7 trillion compared with the prior year, the report said.
Urban Outfitters Inc. appointed Richard Hayne CEO after Glen Senk resigned on Jan. 9, the retailer said on Jan. 10.
Sears Holdings Corp. named Ron Boire EVP, chief merchandising officer and president of the Sears and Kmart business units on Jan. 3.
This year's Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend proved a big one for e-commerce — and mobile commerce in particular. Thanks to a combination of generous deals and increasingly savvy and mobile-focused consumers, the biggest shopping weekend of the year was bigger than ever for online retailers.
Home improvement retailer Lowe's acquired online retailer ATG Stores, the company said on Dec. 29. Lowe's spokesperson Karen Cobb said the acquisition closed yesterday afternoon but declined to disclose terms.
E-commerce sales hit $35.3 billion for the holiday season so far, up 15% compared with the same time period last year. During the week that ended on Dec. 25, e-commerce retailers brought in more than $2.8 billion alone in spending, a 16% increase from the corresponding week last year, according to a Dec. 28 report from comScore.
Online retailer Zappos.com has launched Zappos Now, a digital catalog and lifestyle magazine app that includes editorial content on current fashion trends and the ability to shop directly within the app, the company said Dec. 16.
RichRelevance, a San Francisco-based retail marketing services company, has acquired Searchandise Commerce, a Beverly, Mass.-based retail search marketing services firm. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
IBM has agreed to acquire software company DemandTec for approximately $440 million in cash, the company said Dec. 8. The acquisition, which is expected to close in the first quarter of 2012, is designed to add cloud computing analytics technology to IBM's digital commerce toolset.
Sears Holdings Corp. posted a third-quarter net loss of $421 million, the company reported Nov. 17. Sears brand domestic comparable store sales declined 0.7% and subsidiary Kmart's comparable store sales declined 0.9%.
U.S. retail e-commerce totaled $48.2 billion during the third quarter of 2011, an increase of 13.7% compared with the third quarter of 2010, according to Nov. 17 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Staples, Inc. launched a new e-commerce site for its b-to-b division, Staples Advantage, said Laura Brooks, VP of b-to-b e-commerce at Staples. The new site is designed to feature faster and easier search navigation, alternative product recommendations and enhanced site customization, among other changes.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. reported on Nov. 15 third-quarter revenue of $110.2 billion, an 8.1% increase compared with the prior year.
Office Depot promoted Steve Schmidt to president of the international division, the company said in a Nov. 14 statement. Schmidt will replace Charles Brown, who was fired in September for having an "improper relationship" with an associate.
Senators Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and seven other senators introduced a bill Nov. 9 that would restore each state's sovereign right to enforce state and local sales and use tax laws. The "Marketplace Fairness Act" would also exempt online retailers with less than $500,000 in annual revenue from collecting and remitting sales or use tax.
Fifteen percent of e-commerce shoppers will log onto brand websites using a mobile device this holiday season, according to the IBM Coremetrics Benchmark Industry Report released Nov. 4. The study also predicts total online holiday shopping in November will grow 15% compared with last year.
David Friedman, Sears Holdings Corp.'s SVP and president of marketing, will resign his post in January. Imran Jooma, SVP and president of e-commerce at Sears Holdings, will manage the retailer's online, marketing, financial services and pricing business units.
Santa is going social, and mobile appears to be king when it comes to shopping this holiday season, according to a study conducted Oct. 11-14 by Shopper Sciences, a marketing consultancy unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies' Mediabrands.
Toys "R" Us will launch its integrated 2011 holiday advertising campaign on Oct. 30., featuring direct mail, email, social media and TV elements.
Sears Holdings Corp. launched a digital advertising program on Oct. 26 that will offer consumers weekly circulars for hundreds of Sears and Kmart stores nationwide, said Tom Aiello, VP of public relations at Sears Holdings.
Amazon.com reported a third quarter net sales increase of 44% to $10.88 billion compared with the third quarter of 2010. Third quarter marketing expenses increased 53.5% to $370 million compared with Q3 2010.
Office Depot's sales for the third quarter of 2011 decreased 2% to $2.8 billion compared with the third quarter of 2010, the company reported on Oct. 25.
Shoppers will spend less money on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise this year, according to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2011 "Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey." Shoppers will spend an average of $704.18 this holiday season, a $14 decrease compared with last year, according to the survey.
Shipping services provider DHL launched on Oct. 17 a revamped website for U.S. customers, DHL-USA.com, which features improved navigation, search, paperless clearance and conversion calculators, said Robert Mintz, communications manager at DHL Express.
Taco Bell Corp. has named Brian Niccol its chief marketing and innovation officer, said Taco Bell spokesperson Rob Poetsch via email on Oct. 14. Niccol starts on Oct. 24 with the Yum! Brands-owned company.
Company of the week R2C GroupR2C creates, produces, distributes and measures messages that inspire and compel consumers to do something with a brand to drive commercial advantage. The full-service advertising agency specializes in creative, production, media, analytics and performance. |
What's in our mailbox this month: fitness postcards from Retro Fitness, American Woman Fitness Centers, Union's United Taekwondo Academy, and Bally Total Fitness. (We're totally pumped.)
Social data can improve a brand's bottom line and customer relationships. Just ask brands Infiniti and Diamond Nexus.
Here are three must-have data sets that every marketer should include in his or her email strategy.
