Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

Retailers looking to add sparkle to this year’s Christmas season may want to take a new look at their gift card programs. Last year, more than half of consumers bought at least one gift card for the holidays, according to a report from First Data Corp., an Atlanta-based e-commerce processor.

Indeed, consumers seem to be taking more of a shine than ever to these types of spending vehicles.

With more and more consumers accessing social network sites to gather input and post reviews, Chain Store Age spoke with Dick Reed, CEO of Just Media, on a subject that is a top priority for retailers across the board: how to reach out to consumers in today’s social media world.

Your company has done some detailed research on how consumers make buying decisions in today’s social media world. Tell us about it.

A lot has changed in the past year on the social media block. Facebook and Twitter are no longer the only two major players helping retailers connect and engage with their shoppers in real time. Consumers are flocking to platforms such as social-photo sharing sites Pinterest and Instagram, and some brands are even creating their own social blog accounts on Tumblr.

If JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson is concerned by a 21.7% second-quarter same-store sales decline and a worse-than-expected loss, it wasn't evident Friday morning.

The retailer said sales for the second quarter ended July 28 declined 22.6% to a little more than $3 billion, resulting in a $147 million loss, or 67 cents per share. After adjusting for $159 million in restructuring charges, the company reported a loss of $81 million, or 37 cents per share. The 21.7% comp decline follows a first-quarter decline of 18.9%.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. reported Friday a bigger-than-expected second-quarter loss of $147 million, compared with net income of $14 million in the same period last year.

Sales plummeted 22% to $3.02 billion from $3.9 billion, and same-store sales tumbled 21.7% after an 18.9% fall in the first quarter. Wall Street had forecast revenue of $3.2 billion.

Facing the investment community on Friday, CEO Ron Johnson admitted to some strategic pricing mistakes, but said he and his team will stay the course.

SEATTLE — Zoomingo, the shopping discovery app that helps consumers find the best deals in their local stores and online, has launched a new "back to school" section that lets parents and young adults find the best deals for their back to school essentials, whether they are on the go from their smartphone or from the convenience of their home computer. The new back to school section is available both in English as well as in Spanish through a newly released Spanish language version of Zoomingo's Android application.

WAYNE, N.J. — The "Hunger Games" craze is making its way through the retail industry, with Toys"R"Us being the latest to try and cash in on the popular franchise.

By Jundong Song, [email protected]

In mid-June, Safeway, the number three U.S. food retailer after Wal-Mart and Kroger, capped two years of testing in selected markets and rolled out its enhanced reward program, “Just for U,” chain wide.

It’s a key move in loyalty card programs that all retailers should be watching.

Austin, Texas -- A survey released Tuesday by coupon site RetailMeNot.com found that nearly 80% of parents spend up to $500 per child for back-to-school shopping.

Additionally, the survey – which was conducted with Ipsos Public Affairs – found that the majority of parents get the jump on the school year by starting their shopping in July and August (54%) versus after the school year begins.

A significant number of parents, 29%, find the back-to-school shopping experience to be either annoying or stressful.

LOS ANGELES — Sears is offering customers who want to save and donate to a good cause the chance to do both on Aug. 11, with its "Super Back-to-School Saturday" event. On this day only, Sears will donate up to $70,000 of all apparel, footwear and fine jewelry purchases made using a downloadable 15% off savings pass, both in-store and online. Donations will directly benefit charities affiliated with Sears' Team Up to Stop Bullying, an initiative designed to bring solutions quickly and effectively to victims, families, educators and communities.