Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

Whole Foods Market says it is slashing more than 1% of its workforce in an effort to lower prices for its customers and invest in technology upgrades, as the company fights against increasing competition in the organic grocery space.

Less than a week into his role as J.C. Penney’s chief merchant, John Tighe revealed losing his mother to breast cancer and the retailer’s ambitious fundraising plans that kick in during October.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and J.C. Penney has launched a range of initiatives to raise awareness and funds. For starters, the company is asking customers throughout the month of October to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar.

 Discount retailer 99 Cents Only Stores has come up with an odd new promotion to celebrate those who are becoming, “official 99ers.”
 
The company is known for offering door buster 99 cent specials on limited quantities at store grand openings and its latest promotion is also designed to capitalize on the 99 connection by featuring those turning 99 in direct mail ads.
 

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.

Amazon is using its winning of five Emmys on Sunday at the 67th Annual Emmy Awards to throw its competitors yet another fastball.

The company is reducing the price of its Amazon Prime loyalty program, which includes unlimited free two-day shipping, from $99 per year to $67 for one year. The catch is the deal will only run for 24 hours, between midnight Sept. 25 and ending midnight Sept. 26.

Social media plays an important role in the grocery shopping process. According to a new study from market research firm Packaged Facts, “Retail Food Marketing Trends in the U.S.: Technology, Mobile, and Social Media,” a majority of grocery store shoppers use social media to get recipes (59%).

Marketing experts routinely advise retailers to send customers notifications, such as emails and texts, informing them of discounts or following up on purchases and site visits. But such notifications may be doing more harm than good.

Pervasive online price comparisons, the growing popularity of Amazon.com and intense omnichannel activity can be expected this holiday season, according to new consumer research by Market Track.