Marketing Tactics

A first of its kind conference focused on shopper behavior is scheduled for May 12 in Fayetteville, Ark., home of the Center for Retailing Excellence within the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. The conference is called SHOP and features a number of thought leaders in the field of consumer research and shopper insights and was designed to complement the Center’s Emerging Trends in Retailing Conference that is held each fall.

New York City -- Jack Rogers, the brand best known for its Navajo-inspired sandals, has opened its first retail store, on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

The 1,200-sq.-ft. shop features the company’s greatly growing merchandise lineup, which includes a variety of women’s footwear, accessories, and even some apparel.

The store, designed by New York City-based a+i design, has a nearly all-white interior, with black-oak flooring.
 

NEW YORK -- Walmart announced that it has donated $2 million to Dress for Success, a non-profit that helps femailes get back into the work force by providing clothes, interview preparation and other tools needed to land a job. The announcement was made at the third annual Dress for Success day of service in New York City.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Walmart announced it has eliminated more than 80% of the waste that would go to landfills from its operations in California by implementing a comprehensive waste reduction program. The results far exceed national average where EPA estimates only 45% of waste is diverted from landfills and the California rate of 65%.

The program is now being rolled out across the chain’s 4,400 stores, Sam’s Club locations and distribution centers in the United States, moving the retailer closer to its global goal of creating zero waste.

Minneapolis -- Starbucks, Lowe’s and Target are among the U.S. retail chains donating money to the relief effort that is assisting victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

The Starbucks Foundation and Starbucks Coffee Japan will contribute approximately $1.2 million) to aid immediate humanitarian and relief efforts. 

NEW YORK — Next to gas, the rising cost of food almost always tops consumers' list of spending concerns, and those concerns will surely rise as food prices reached peak levels last month, according to the Labor Department's Producer Price Index. The particularly high increase in the cost of both fresh and dry vegetables not only hurts consumer wallets, but could also curtail efforts, such as this partnership between First Lady Obama and Walmart, to encourage Americans to eat healthier.

Redmond, Wash. -- Eddie Bauer and PlayNetwork have announced the launch of the Eddie Bauer Emerging Artist Program.

“The Eddie Bauer Emerging Artist Program was born from the spirit of adventure and discovery inherent in the First Ascent and Eddie Bauer brands,” said Kirsten Kinkead, multimedia producer at Eddie Bauer. “PlayNetwork is the ideal partner for this program because they have a true understanding of our core values and will translate that into media experiences that resonate with our customers.”

NEW YORK  -- Macy's announced the launch of "Martha Stewart Collection by Serta," a mattress line available exclusively at Macy's.