Marketing Tactics

Chicago -- Comcast and experience design firm ESI Design have created Studio Xfinity, a retail environment where play, technology, and entertainment combine to create an engaging and fully integrated customer experience.

New York -- Online beauty subscription retailer Birchbox is plunging deeper into brick-and-mortar retailing — and it is seeking customer input to help guide its decision.

Cloud-based commerce platform Shopify is recognizing six new startups with awards.

This year’s winners of the Shopify Build a Better Business contest ranged from a GPS-enabled suitcase, to a wearable that zaps users to reduce bad habits, to an innovative mattress.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is not backing down in its challenge to the upcoming July 15 Amazon “Prime Day” event. One day after reducing the minimum online purchase for free shipping from $50 to $35 and reducing prices on thousands of online items, Wal-Mart is going a step further and guaranteeing it will offer lower prices than Amazon.

Target Corp. is looking to make getting ready for back to school quick and easy for families this autumn with an innovative new way to shop for school supplies.

The retailer is launching a service called School List Assist. The online hub will offer a curated assortment of the most common K-8 supplies on the list and a convenient new way for guests to find what they need. Parents can purchase the school supplies their kids need and then pick them up in store or have them shipped to their homes.

New York -- There was good news for retailers in the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual BTS (Back-to-School) Consumer Spending Survey.

The survey revealed that the share of consumers expecting to spend more this year increased significantly year-over-year to 67%, compared to 50% of shoppers in 2014 and 39% who expected to increase spending in 2013.

Seattle -- Amazon has released an early preview of some of the deals that will be offered on July 15, as part of its first-ever Prime Day anniversary extravaganza. The promotion, which Amazon claims will be bigger than Black Friday, has caused Walmart to offer its own super-sale online on Wednesday.

The latest back-to-school promotion from Staples includes deeper discounts, a free trip to California for 50 students, and a new TV advertising campaign.

“This is our 29th back-to-school season at Staples. We’re using or knowledge and expertise to help parents, students and teachers get 110% ready for school with our lowest price guarantee,” Parneros said. “Whether shopping on Staples.com or in our stores with our amazing associates, Staples makes it easy to shop for students in elementary school through college.”