Marketing Tactics

Outdoor lifestyle brand matching store space to green space
Timberland announced a goal to double its footprint in five U.S. cities by 2020 -- but not in the conventional year. Each year for the next five years, the brand will choose a different city with a Timberland store, and match its retail floor space with the creation or restoration of an equivalent amount of green space in that city.
Starbucks, Shanghai
The design of Starbucks’ flagship in the new Disneytown at Shanghai Disney Resort was inspired by the craft of coffee and the magic of Disney — and the latest in ordering technology. Located in the entertainment district just outside the main entrance to the theme park, the store is topped with a specially crafted wind vane that evokes the playfulness of Disney with the iconic Starbucks siren.

Apple stores add cool new summer class for kids

Apple is training the next generation of coders — in its stores. The company is expanding its Apple Camp workshops to include a course designed to teach children the basics of coding, Techcrunch reported. The “Coding Games and Programming Robots” course, open to children ages 8 to 12, will also allow kids to program Sphero robots.
eBay promotion puts customers in charge
Study: Millennial shoppers can be selfish, too

Despite their reputation as a generation dedicated to the greater good, millennial consumers are in some ways more narrowly focused than their Gen X elders. According to a new study of more than 7,000 global consumers conducted online in April age 18-55 conducted by sales and marketing firm Daymon Worldwide, 35% of both millennial and Gen X consumers prefer buying sustainable products.
Drug Store News, Mack Elevation co-host new 10x Thought Leadership Forum

The roster of speakers for the Aug.
Study points up importance of the human touch in shopping journey

A traditional, low-tech customer service feature can help prompt shoppers to follow the path to purchase. According to a new study from technology services company Mindtree, “Mindtree Shopper Survey 2016,” good old-fashioned human sales associates have a big impact on consumers moving from thinking about a purchase to actually making one.
Walmart shows shoppers a good time

Long dependent on low prices to draw customers to stores, Walmart is trying a new traffic-boosting tactic: fun.
CSA names seasoned writer/marketer as real estate editor

Chain Store Age has named Al Urbanski as real estate editor & manager; effective immediately. Al takes the reins of CSA’s online and print real estate content as well as develops marketing strategies for shopping center companies, real estate advisers and brokers, tech firms and more to leverage CSA’s retailer audience.
Costco flips the credit card switch

The American Express card is now history at Costco Wholesale Club. As of June 20, Costco is accepting only Visa-branded credit cards chain wide. The retailer made headlines last year when it announced that, after 16 years, it was dropping American Express as its exclusive credit card provider and switching to Visa.