Marketing Tactics

With back-to-school spending on a “stock up” cycle rather than a “make do” cycle, total spending for K-12 and college school supplies is expected to reach $75.8 billion, up from last year’s $68 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics.   

Restaurants now dominate retail for 15% of all sales, a point ahead of grocery for the top area of expenditure. Now it’s time for the special conditions of retail leasing to dominate the minds of shopping centers owners and managers, according to CBRE experts.  

Hesitating to offer back-to-school deals could result in significant loss of potential sales.  

Politics can make for some strange bedfellows.   Donald Trump’s campaign is reportedly using American Apparel to manufacture some of its campaign apparel merchandise, according to Fortune.  

Sequels are rarely better than the original, but the second annual Amazon Prime Day may deserve comparisons to “The Godfather Part II” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”  

Mall of America is using leading-edge technology to enhance the on- and offsite customer experience.   The Bloomington, Minnesota-based center is the latest retail participant to adopt virtual reality (VR) technology. A new, VR-based immersive experience allows customers to “see” retail, entertainment and live events within the mall.  

Consumer goods giant Unilever is paying a reported $1 billion to buy an online retail start-up that has yet to turn to profit.   Unilever PLC announced it is buying Dollar Shave Club, the razor delivery subscription service known for its irreverent brand positioning and viral You Tube videos. Terms of the deal were not announced, but The New York Times and other media outlets reported Unilever is paying $1 billion in cash for the scrappy company, which has yet to turn a profit but expects to do so by yearend.  

A familiar chain has been named the most powerful retail brand of 2016.   According to the 2016 Top 100 Most Powerful Brands report from brand marketing firm Tenet Partners, Barnes & Nobile is the most powerful retail brand, and 32nd most powerful brand overall, of the year. This is the second straight year Barnes & Noble ranked highest among retailers.