Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

Paris -- Shopmium, the new brand discovery app, has officially launched in the U.S. on both iOS and Android platforms. Shopmium’s model enables advertisers to promote products through a targeted media approach that delivers mobile brand experiences and discount offers to users.
 

In a move to increase traffic and grow sales, Family Dollar said it added 400 products to its food offerings and reduced prices on 1,000 other items.

As part of the rollout, the operator of more than 8,100 stores enlisted the aid of television personality, author and chef Pat Neely. Plans call for Neely to participate in several special events including a recipe contest in which the challenge is to prepare a meal for four for under $15. The contest winner will receive a cooking experience with Neely at his home in Memphis.

Oak Brook, Ill. – McDonald’s is offering free McCafe coffee is available during breakfast hours starting March 31 through April 13 in participating restaurants. To kick off the two-week campaign, McDonald's will host "Make Friends with McCafe" sampling events at high traffic locations and transportation hubs in multiple cities across the country.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp announced that its retail services business, which manages more than 130 private label and co-brand credit programs, has signed a new multi-year agreement to provide private label credit card services for women’s fashion online and catalog retailer Venus.

Predominantly an online soft-goods retailer, Venus is experiencing double-digit growth by focusing on fashion-forward merchandising trends, expanding into new fashion categories, and appealing to a customer demographic with whom digital channels resonate.

Minneapolis -- The distribution of digital coupons on retailers’ websites exploded in 2013, increasing 39.5% over the previous year, according to data released by Marx, a Kantar Media company. The growth of digital coupons was followed by a 25.6% increase in retailer participation in freestanding insert (FSI) coupon promotion pages, and a 12.6% increase in total retailer feature ad pages distributed.

Attica, Ohio -- Affiliate marketer WP Marketing LLC, has opened a new online shopping mall at myextremedeals.com/pine8734. As an affiliate marketing company, WP Marketing does not warehouse or sell products, but instead researches them on the online shoppers' behalf.  

Actress Sofia Vergara is launching her first scent, called Sofia by Sofia Vergara. The fragrance makes its debut exclusively with Home Shopping Network (HSN) at 12:01 a.m. April 24 and in key markets internationally, and rolls out to retailers nationwide in September.  

"Sofia by Sofia Vergara is designed for the woman who wants to feel irresistible and truly enjoys being a woman," said Vergara. "I wanted to bring a little bit of who I am, my ethnicity and create a fragrance that is a true reflection of me."
 

Major changes in retailers’ use of digital coupons and free standing insert promotions were evident in 2013 and especially pronounced at Walmart, Target and Kroger, according to an extensive analysis conducted by the Marx division of Kantar Media.

Retailers’ overall advertising expenditures were relatively in 2013 when compared to the prior year; however, there were large spikes in digital coupon events and free standing insert (FSI) coupon promotion pages.
 

Alpharetta, Ga. - Almost half (45%) of brands see measuring ROI as a challenge in using Twitter as a marketing tool, followed by building an audience (42%) and engagement (37%). In addition, a new survey of brand marketers from Social Media Marketing University (SMMU) shows that 40% of brands agree that Twitter is an effective marketing tool and 25% strongly agree, but 31% are undecided, 1% agree and 3% strongly agree.

New York -- Duane Reade and Poncho, a personalized weather-forecasting service that sends users relevant weather updates tailored to their preferences via text or email, are teaming up in a pilot program targeted to the New York Metropolitan area consumer. Poncho users will receive their regular weather updates with select alerts featuring coupons for Duane Reade products that will help them battle the elements and their allergies.