Marketing Tactics

Kroger and Eckrich came together with a special guest this week to honor -- and surprise -- a U.S. veteran.

The retailer and Eckrich hosted NASCAR driver Aric Almirola at Kroger headquarters to give medically retired Army Specialist John Dietz and his family one year of free groceries at Kroger.

Lynnwood, Wash. – Specialty sports retailer Zumiez Inc. had a fizzling July. Net sales decreased 2% to $61.4 million, from $62.8 million the same four-week period a year earlier. Same-store sales dropped 7.6%.

Currency fluctuations and promotional costs led Etsy.com to report another lackluster quarter of financial results, as the retailer warned more trouble may lie ahead.

The New York-based e-commerce site for handmade and vintage goods blamed currency headwinds and marketing expenses for a loss of $6.35 million in the second quarter ended June 30. That was wider than the $3.15 million reported a year earlier. Sales rose 44% from a year ago to $61.4 million, matching the sales growth from three months prior.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has made its first major foray into beacon technology as the retailer continues to look for ways to enhance the in-store shopping experience with digital tools.

The retailer announced it is testing beacons at 50 stores nationwide, including locations in Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle. The company said it plans to expand the service to more stores later this year.

Roseville, Mich. – Developing customer rewards programs costs money, but when done correctly pays big dividends. The National Coney Island restaurant chain has successfully increased guest frequency and spend with its Paytronix-powered Coney Bucks rewards program.

An instant-wins promotion almost doubled new Coney Bucks registrations over the average previous months' registrations. National Coney Island replaced its coupon-based advertising program with the Coney Bucks rewards program, which is built on the Paytronix Rewards Platform.

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Etsy Inc. assembled a growing net loss in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, despite improving sales results. Net loss doubled to $6.4 million from $3.2 million in the second quarter a year earlier.

Outdoor wear retailer Patagonia is trying to revolutionize the way denim is manufactured, sold and worn with a new collection.

Patagonia's new denim collection is made with environmentally friendly dye, Fair Trade Certified sewing practices, and 100% organic cotton grown without pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.

New York – Dan Berthiaume, senior editor of Chain Store Age, recently participated in a one-hour panel discussion, “Consumer Industries: Using Real-time Consumer Insights,” sponsored by SAP as part of its “Coffee Break with Game-Changers” Internet radio series.