Marketing Tactics

As a teaser for its Thanksgiving Day opening, Kohl’s is launching a one-day Black Friday sale Wednesday, Nov. 3.   Available in-store and on its website, Kohl’s will feature one day of Black Friday deals for shoppers eager to get a jump on their holiday shopping. The program supports its holiday tagline, the “First Place to Stop and Best Place to Shop.” Featured merchandise includes Serta gel memory foam mattresses, 50-inch LED TVs, inflatable hot tubs, and appliances, such as food processors, among other merchandise.

Uber wants to put championship gear commemorating the Cubs’ World Series victory into fans’ hands as quickly as possible.   Through a partnership with licensed sports merchandise e-retailer Fanatics, Uber launched a program that enables Cubbies fans to purchase championship hats and t-shirts directly through the ride-hailing app, according to Recode.  

Petco will celebrate the grand opening of nine new stores nationwide in November and December.   The openings are in keeping with the company’s fast-paced 2016 growth plan, which includes 63 new Petco stores and one new Unleashed by Petco store year-to-date.   In addition to the nine new locations, Petco will also celebrate the grand reopening of a relocated store in Kettering, Ohio.  

Taubman is taking the Santa experience to a higher level — literally — at 12 malls this holiday season.   On Nov. 11, the mall owner and manager will debut “Santa’s Flight Academy,” where kids will be able to register as members of the jolly old elf’s flight crew, help Sleigh Mechanic George or Reindeer Caretaker Flash prepare for liftoff and engage in what Taubman is describing as an “immersive holiday experience.”  

Because of the tone and tenor of the presidential campaign, lots of folks might be surprised to learn there are many other significant races going on across the country. These so-called “down-ballot” elections for governors’ offices, U.S. House and Senate seats, state legislatures and other offices may hold the real clues for what the next four years entail for employers, no matter who wins the White House. Believe it or not, there are substantive candidates actually discussing substantive kitchen table issues that impact families and communities.

Holiday spending is expected to spike by a solid 4%.   That’s according to the “2016 Holiday Season Forecast,” an annual report from investment firm JLL that is based on responses from 2,800 shoppers across 31 shopping centers.  

Architectural firm P+R Architects (Perkowitz + Ruth Architects), based in Long Beach, California, has changed its name to Retail Design Collaborative.   

Black Friday may be considered one of the biggest shopping events of the year, but interest among consumers continues to dwindle.   Specifically, 31% of respondents in the United States said they have always disliked shopping on Black Friday, and 29% believe it is simply a marketing trick with retailers manipulating pricing to convince consumers they are getting a good deal.