Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

Boston -- Walmart narrowly leads the one-stop basket assessment versus Target, according to the latest Kantar Retail basket pricing study, which examines a basket of grocery, HBA, and general merchandise items. Study findings indicate Target’s overall basket is 3.5% more expensive than Walmart’s and Walmart leads in each of the sub-baskets, with the strongest lead in general merchandise.
Notable findings from the study include:

Los Angeles -- American Express is preparing to launch a customer loyalty program in the U.S. that will enable shoppers at select retailers to rack up points that they can use toward future purchases at Macy's, Exxon Mobil, AT&T and other participating companies.

The free program, set to debut in May, is dubbed Plenti and will also include Nationwide, Rite Aid, Direct Energy and Hulu, American Express said Wednesday.

Target has been hit with a slew of negative reports recently, and now the retailer is trying to do something positive for its image by making its return policy more shopper-friendly.

Target Corp. announced an enhanced return policy Wednesday covering all of the retailer’s 32 owned and exclusive brands, which extends the return window to one year from the date of purchase. The retailer also rolled out a one-year return guarantee for guests using Target’s baby, college or wedding gift registry.

Rite Aid has become one of the key retail partners in a first for the U.S. market: a coalition loyalty program called Plenti that includes the likes of American Express, AT&T, Direct Energy, Exxon/Mobil, Hulu, Macy's and Nationwide.

Plano, Texas – Deb Berman, chief marketing officer of The J.C. Penney Co. Inc., has left the company. In a statement, J.C. Penney said Berman left of her own accord.

Berman came to Penney from Kraft Foods Group in August 2013, as part of CEO Mike Ullman’s attempt to rebuild the retailer’s management team.  She served at Kraft as VP of marketing and engagement and also had prior experience working at advertising agencies.
 

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. exceeded Wall Street expectations with profit in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. The specialty footwear retailer reported net income of $30.8 million, up 10% from $28.1 million the same quarter a year earlier.

Cost of sales grew at a slower pace than actual sales, helping boost profits. DSW plans to open 35 stores in fiscal 2015, including eight to 10 small format stores. Sales rose 12$ to $640 million, from $572 million.

JCPenney has lost its chief marketing officer at a time when the company has been trying to rebuild its brand image.

By Chris Mike, Chirpify

These days, retailers spend a lot of time obsessing over letters, specifically CAC and CLV. Most know these terms as shorthand for customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value. Both are key concepts and incredibly important metrics if you operate a retail business.

Indianapolis – Just in time for the annual college basketball championship tournament, Hhgregg is running an omnichannel “March Markdown” promotion. From March 16 – April 6, customers can enter up to four times per day via Facebook, online, or by sharing the Hhgregg “Acrobatic Dunk Madness” video.

Just in time for spring’s college basketball showdown, Hhgregg is offering a winning deal to customers who shop in-store or online.

The retailer is offering zero down and no-interest financing until January 2018 on qualifying purchases from now until March 28.