Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

Social media plays a huge role — bigger than pricing — when it comes to influencing the purchase decisions of Generation Z.   

School may be back in session, but the back-to-school (BTS) shopping frenzy continues.    And as parents continue to purchase merchandise from newly distributed classroom supply lists, 42% of BTS shoppers expect to spend more this school year compared to 2016, according to new research and insights from Acosta, a sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail merchandising industry.  

Amazon is getting ready to host its fourth-annual flagship sale in India.   The online giant is gearing up for its “Great Indian Festival,” an event similar to Amazon’s Prime Day sale. Amazon is banking on the sale’s deep discounts, exclusive merchandise and buyback offers to attract new customers, according to Live Mint.  

The price wars among the nation's leading retailers has taken a new turn just ahead of the critical holiday selling season. On Friday, Target revealed in a blog post on its website that it had lowered prices on "thousands" of items, from cereal and paper towels to baby formula, razors, bath tissue and more. The discounter said the move would help end shoppers' uncertainty over the timing of discounts on certain products, and make for "more consistent savings."

As much as today's shoppers want convenience, they also prioritize saving money and will make time to uncover the best deals online and offline.     Over half (53%) of consumers indicated they invest over two hours a week looking for deals and savings across all sources, according to a survey from Valassis. About 25% of millennials and moms spend over four hours a week in their search for value.  

As promised, Target has moved its Cartwheel savings program into the retailer's app.   Target announced the move on Monday, saying that shoppers no longer need to switch back and forth, or maintain separate apps. The Target app is now listed as “Target—now with Cartwheel.”  

Uber riders nationwide can now earn credits for shopping and dining under a rewards program with Visa.   The program, Visa Local Offers with Uber, launched last year in the San Francisco and Los Angeles markets. It has been relaunched to be made available to Uber riders across the country. The program is open to Uber riders with an eligible U.S.-issued Visa card on file in the Uber app.  

Retailers still have time to capitalize on their second biggest selling season of the year.   Only 45% of households with children in grades K-12 had completed of their shopping as of early August, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. That’s down from 52% at the same time in 2013 and 48% last year.