Cross-Merchandising

Before you declare your personalized marketing efforts a success, check with your customers.

That is the overriding message from a global study of 1,200 consumers and 200 marketing professionals conducted in October 2015 by Forrester Consulting for hybris. The study, “The Contextual Marketing Imperative,” finds that while 66% of marketers rate their efforts at personalization as “very good” or “excellent,” just 31% of consumers report companies are consistently delivering personalized, cross-channel experiences

Target merges physical and digital retailing in its holiday pop-up, Target Wonderland, in Manhattan.

Target is back to its old marketing tricks in New York City this holiday season with a16,000-square foot omnichannel "spectacle” opening Dec. 9 next to Chelsea Market.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the holiday pop-up store "is filled with 10 holiday-themed displays that incorporate a digital element on top of an interactive physical experience. Each one is tied in to a popular holiday toy that Target is selling at the space."

PBteen is hoping a new omnichannel collaboration with a popular teen app may appeal to a wide swath of its target market.

The retailer is teaming up with a Disney star on a new furnishings collection inspired by a trendy new app called Make Me Nails. The app was created by the star of Disney's "A Dog with a Blog," G. Hannelius. Make Me Nails is a fully-customizable nail wrap iPhone app and e-commerce platform that allows consumers to create individual nail wrap art for each finger, for the ultimate custom manicure.

H-E-B is blazing another new trail in the online grocery market with a special holiday promotion.

The Texas-based grocery chain is hosting 12 Days of Deals, online only, Dec. 5 through Dec. 16. Each day, HEB says, it will feature a doorbuster deal with something for everyone, from TVs and toys, to crockpots and coolers.

GameStop is upping the ante on rewards by allowing customers to use their reward points to save on the cost of fuel.

The retailer is partnering with the Excentus Corp. Fuel Rewards program to allow members to earn fuel savings from purchases made at thousands of participating merchants, retailers and restaurants nationwide.

Delivering an excellent in-store experience to customers is no easy task for retailers. In addition to ensuring your employees are offering exceptional customer service, you need to consider how shoppers will perceive every aspect of your store environment, including lighting, music, floor plans and merchandise display. But in determining how to create an optimum in-store environment, don’t forget one of the most important factors that can positively influence the customer experience—scent.

Pier 1 Imports is celebrating the holidays with two unusual pop-up experiences.

The home décor retailer is creating a life-sized, pop-up book installation, open to the public from December 2 – 6, in downtown Manhattan.

It also is sending a limited edition, holiday pop-up catalog, created in collaboration with award-winning paper engineer Bruce Foster, to select customers. To see a video of the pop-up catalog, click here.

Urban Outfitters Inc. will spend less than $20 million on its acquisition of Vetri Family Restaurant group, which owns the well-regarded Pizzeria Vetri chain, Bloomberg reported. The acquisition comes as consumers are spending more on “experiences” rather than clothing. “We believe that we do experiences really well and know our customer very well, and we have a lot of history in growing brands organically,” Urban Outfitters CFO Frank Conforti told Bloomberg.