Marketing Tactics

J.C. Penney has scored with Nike.   The department store retailer has teamed up with the athletic giant to open Nike branded in-store shops in more than 600 Penney locations across the country. Anchored by a Nike swoosh, the 500-sq.-ft. shops are located within the men’s department,   

Amazon has been issued a patent for the design of its Treasure Truck, a vehicle that cruises the streets of Seattle and is stocked with a couple of types of discounted products, Geek Wire reported.    Users of Amazon’s mobile shopping app receive alerts on their smartphones about the deals, which are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.    

Macerich is offering retailers a promotional connection to smartphone shoppers at 22 of its properties.   Shoppers will be able to access the StepsAway app via mall Wi-Fi and search for products by category or individual retailer. Macerich tenants can create and deliver promotional offers through a cloud-based platform installed at the company’s headquarters.  

Frontgate is looking to create a unique shopping experience at its new location in Dallas.       The luxury home decor and furnishings retailer will open what it called its first experiential store in late May, in the Dallas suburbs. The 22,000-sq.-ft. store will be located at Legacy West, a luxury retail development in Plano, Texas.     Frontgate reaches most shoppers through its catalogs and website. The also company operates a handful of brick-and-mortar locations. 

Holiday sales not only beat expectations among industry observers, it hit a five-year high.   Retail sales grew by 4.8% through the holiday season, as compared to the same period in 2015 — and November and December spending growth is the strongest it’s been in five years, according to a new report from Visa.   “The Visa Retail Spending Monitor” tracks retail sales, with the exception of autos, gas, and restaurants, among retail goods, services and stores on Visa payment products. 

PGA Tour Superstore is celebrating the opening of its 28th U.S. store.   The privately held retailer has opened a store in Glendale, Arizona, its fifth location in the western state. Two more locations are in the works for 2017, with one in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and another in Jacksonville, Florida.  

Amazon is being penalized for inaccurate pricing practices on its Canadian website.    According to the Competition Bureau, a Canadian independent law enforcement agency, Amazon will pay a $1 million penalty and $100,000 towards the Competition Bureau’s costs — punishment for violating the Competition Act, a law that ensures consumers are not misled by references to inflated regular prices.   

The new owner of the 550,000-sq.-ft. Lakeview Square Mall in Battle Creek, Michigan, finds itself in a common quandary among property owners today -- launching an all-points search for retailers to fill the hole left by a closing Macy’s.