Cross-Merchandising

By Christian Davies, [email protected]

Meet the most complex shopper of all time – Generation Z. By 2020, today’s 14-19 year olds (Gen Z) will be the largest group of consumers worldwide, making up 40% of the U.S., Europe and the BRIC countries, and 10% in the rest of the world. The needs and behaviors of this group will influence the future of mainstream retail.

Kimberly-Clark and the National Hockey League have renewed and enhanced their multiyear partnership in North America. In Canada, K-C launched its Home Team Advantage retail activation program this season with participation by their portfolio of brands including Cottonelle, Huggies, Kleenex, Scott and Pull-ups.

Austin, Texas -- Starting in November, Whole Foods Market stores nationwide will host DIY craft tutorials, with local artists from Etsy’s seller community. Shoppers can also find exclusive step-by-step DIY projects from Etsy’s creative community in Whole Foods Market’s 2013 Holiday Guide, available in stores and online.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods and ESPN have entered a multi-year agreement in which Dick’s will serve as the exclusive e-commerce provider of licensed merchandise and sporting goods on ESPN.com and related digital properties.

New York – Nespresso is opening an in-store “Boutique-in-Shop” at the Macy's Herald Square on 34th Street in New York City. Nespresso coffee specialists will be present to offer demonstrations of Nespresso machines and guide customers through the profiles of the 21 Grand Cru coffees.

This is the second Nespresso Boutique-in-Shop within a Macy's store.

Duck Tape brand duct tape is joining forces with Fiskars Corp. to introduce a new line of scissors for crafting.

“Both Duck brand duct tape and Fiskars share a commitment to creating innovative products that help people express their creativity,” Fiskars VP brand marketing Jay Gillespie said. “This partnership is a perfect fit, and we’re looking forward to giving enthusiasts tools that make creating with Duck Tape easier than ever before.”

The scissors will be available at select retailers June 2014.

Falls Church, Va. -- Ridemakerz, the build-a-car retailer, will open a 1,300-sq.-ft. in-store shop at FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue, on Nov. 11. A highlight of the space will be the Ridemakerz “build table” where customers can assemble their cars, attaching the body of the car to the chassis and adding custom rims and tires.

Leading sales and marketing services provider Crossmark has enhanced its shopper marketing capabilities with the purchase of PromoWorks.

The transaction will result in Crossmark being the preferred product sampling and demonstration agency for 10 of the top 20 food retailers in North America and the exclusive event marketing planning agency for many of the top consumer brands, according to the company.

Dick’s Sporting Goods and ESPN have entered into a multi-year agreement which will allow Dick’s to be the exclusive e-commerce provider of licensed merchandise and sporting goods on ESPN.com and related digital properties.  

Dick’s and ESPN are no strangers. The sporting goods retailer sponsors ESPN's Champ Week coverage for college basketball, and collaborates on content such as Hell Week — an original documentary produced by Dick’s Sporting Goods Films in association with ESPN, which aired on ESPN2 and ESPNU earlier this year.

Mountain View, Calif. – Millennial consumers age 18-34 are most likely to use online and mobile technology in their holiday shopping this year. According to a new survey from the Google 2013 Holiday Intentions Shopping Study, 95% of Millennials but only 87% of consumers age 35 and older plan to use the Internet as a tool for holiday shopping.