Marketing Tactics

Sears and Amazon.com both recently came under fire for allowing rings decorated with the Nazi swastika symbol to be posted for sale on their third-party seller sites. While both retailers quickly pulled the items down and issued public apologies, they received a large amount of negative publicity and surely damaged their brand image with many offended customers, perhaps to the point of permanently losing some of them.  

In announcing its new mobile ordering service, Starbucks referenced a "seismic shift in consumer behavior in which many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers experienced a decline in foot traffic compared with significant growth in online shopping" during the 2013 holiday season. Indeed, consumers are increasingly comfortable with bypassing physical stores and purchasing goods online, especially when facing the prospect of holiday crowds and traffic.  

Corte Madera, Calif. -- RH (Restoration Hardware Holdings) announced today the opening of its store, RH The Gallery, in West Hollywood, Calif.       With nearly 40,000 total interior and exterior square feet, the space features artistic abstractions and never-seen-before collections of home furnishings in a gallery setting.  

Toronto -- PayPal Canada is launching PassPort, a website designed to help small businesses sell internationally. On the PassPort website, entrepreneurs can find export market specific guidance on seasonal sales peaks including holidays and events; cultural customs, taboos and trends; shipping and distribution logistics; currency exchange and fees; and customs procedures and taxes.  

Paris, France -- Digital Social Retail, a division of digital marketing agency Holosfind, is launching a digital convergence platform for the retail industry, integrating innovative technology and centralized management, for real-time streaming of audio and video content and personalized geolocation messaging. After 18 months of development and the signing of a joint venture for the acquisition of technology with the Israeli company Media TV, Digital Social Retail has introduced the Social Retail convergence platform.

Learn about emerging brands on the cusp of break-out success and formerly solid brands in need of a reset in this exclusive report, More Climbers & Fallers.

Bond No. 9 raises the bar for fragrance retailers with its redesigned flagship in downtown Manhattan. The space is transformed with glittering chandeliers, smoky mirrors and splashes of color.    Read More