Marketing Tactics

Wawa managed to beat the clock in Philadelphia, opening a flagship location just in time for the Pope’s visit.

The convenience store operator opened the 4,000-sq.-ft. store nearly two months ahead of schedule, and in time for the crowds in town to see Pope Francis.

The new Wawa features an entirely new store design, colors, graphics and other one-of-a-kind features. It was designed in collaboration with Interbrand Design Forum, Dayton, Ohio, and Cuhaci and Peterson, locally based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

Six months after opening a Skechers concept shop, Meijer is taking the next step in what appears to be a more ambitious rollout of the branded shop to additional footwear departments.

Woody Allen famously said 80% of success is showing up, and that saying may well apply to mobile retailing. According to a new study from Google, “Micro-moments: Your Guide to Winning the Shift to Mobile,” 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting research.

In addition, showing up in mobile search ad results can increase unaided brand awareness 46%. And one in three smartphone users have purchased from a company or brand other than the one they intended because of information provided in the moment they needed it.

Retailers always take a gamble when targeting promotions, and The Limited is doing its best to improve the odds. The specialty apparel retailer is using the First Insight InsightTargeting predictive analytics solution to determine which products and prices will appeal most among specific customer segments.

InsightTargeting combines data from First Insight's real-time consumer engagements with behavioral data from CRM and social media platforms.

Consumers are taking an increasingly varied path to purchase for tech accessories. According to the Second Annual Accessories at Retail study from the Consumer Electronic Association (CEA), almost two-thirds of U.S. consumers (62%) and more than three-quarters of millennials (77%) now go online via computer or mobile device to learn about tech accessories before making a purchase decision.

However, fewer U.S. consumers are making their final purchases online using a computer (30%) or mobile (7%).

Sam’s Club and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation are investing in an innovative program to help spawn the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Johnny Rockets is launching a fast-casual concept that the company hopes will appeal to time-starved millennials on the run.

Called Johnny’s Burger Factory, the 1,000-sq.-ft. eatery is located at the Walden Galleria mall, in Buffalo, New York, and will open on Sept. 26.

Another digital-native retailer is going the mall route. And this one is aimed at shoppers who love to play with makeup.

NYX Professional Makeup on Oct. 2 will open its first-ever physical store, at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall, Arcadia, California. The Los Angeles-based brand, which was acquired by L'Oreal in June 2014, says it plans to roll out additional stores nationwide and globally in select urban centers throughout 2016.