Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — Newegg, a leading electronics-focused e-retailer in the U.S., has launched a “flash sale” site, NeweggFlash.com.

CHICAGO — Social media powerhouse Facebook is trying go beyond baby photos and cat memes by further integrating commerce into its current platform.

While many large and small retailers already use Facebook's platform to market their wares and enhance their brand awareness, no one has set up shop on the site until now.

Washington, D.C. – A sizable majority of American consumers oppose efforts by the government to impose limits on the size of soft drinks and other sugary beverages sold in restaurants, according to results of a new Gallup poll. Sixty-nine percent of 1,015 consumers ages 18 and older said they would vote against a law limiting the size of sugary beverages to 16 oz.

Seattle – Starbucks has enacted small increases in the prices of less than one-third of its beverages in select markets. The increases, which average about 1%, affect smaller sizes of brewed coffee, tea, latte and espresso drinks. Larger venti- and grande-sized drinks will not have their prices changed.

St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio, are ground zero for a new initiative from News America Marketing that blends e-commerce with the traditional free-standing insert.

Austin, Texas – Digital coupon provider RetailMeNot is expanding into Canada with the launch of its new RetailMeNot.ca site. The site provides Canadian consumers with access to thousands of digital coupons for more than 6,000 retailers doing business in Canada.

Office Depot has launched a new rewards program with several loyalty enhancements even as it moves closer to consummating its merger with OfficeMax.

The company’s new program, called simply Office Depot Rewards, is designed to reward shoppers for spending money, sharing information about themselves and recycling. It is a novel approach that is intended to offer a more customized approach to shoppers’ unique behaviors and preferences.

Clearwater, Fla. – Multichannel retailer/product marketer As Seen On TV is taking advantage of the burgeoning crowd-funding trend to let its customers help decide what new products will be available for sale. Partnering with crowd-funding software provider Launcht Inc., As Seen On TV will allow inventors to upload video, images, design specifications and marketing strategies relating to their product ideas onto its e-commerce site. Customers will then be able to comment on, review and make prepurchases of products.