Digital Marketing

Walmart is leveraging its mighty store network to gain a competitive advantage over Amazon for last-minute holiday shoppers.    The discount retailer announced Tuesday it will offer shoppers a Christmas Eve store pickup commitment for eligible orders placed online by 6 p.m. local time on Dec. 23.   

The countdown is on.    With 12 shopping days left before Christmas, holiday shoppers mean business. They have their shopping lists in hand, devices are charged, and they want their desired merchandise in their hands — fast. And with Adobe reporting that 5% of customers drive 35% of revenue, retailers would be foolish not to deliver.   

Retailers continue to launch digital deals this holiday season to snag new customers — but these efforts come at a price.    Retailers’ promotional offers are eclipsing 2015 efforts. Customer orders using a promotion are up 34% versus 2015, and up 52% over the holiday season (Nov. 1-Dec. 5) versus 2015 in North America.     

Holiday 2016 is proving to be both an opportunity and a challenge for retailers, as they’re faced with catering to the behaviors and preferences of multiple generations of shoppers. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Generation Z (children ages 10-17) consumers have a significant and growing influence on household spending. And as a result, new trends are emerging this holiday season, including the record mobile app purchases we saw on Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend.  

While mobile commerce flexed its muscle during Cyber Week, desktop shoppers keep representing this holiday season — and in a strong way.  

Hoping to lessen the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Sears Holdings and Uber are expanding its Rider Rewards program to 23 new markets.   The service, which launched this fall in New York City and Chicago, enabled Sears Shop Your Way loyalty shoppers to link their memberships to their Uber accounts. Every Uber ride they take earns them $2 in loyalty points.  

Alibaba’s newest partnership is further expanding the global reach of mobile payments.   Alipay, a digital wallet payment platform run by Alibaba's affiliate Ant Financial, and Quest Payment Systems Pty Ltd, an Australian payments provider, are teaming up to roll out Alipay at select stores in Australia. The digital wallet, which is currently used by Chinese nationals to pay for in-store purchases using their mobile phones, is now available at select stores within The Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist pharmacy groups.

Brand-building consultant Denise Lee Yohn has released her annual “Brands to Watch” list for 2017. There are 26 companies on the list, with retail and social media brands accounting for 10 of the spots.  Here’s a review:   Barnes & Noble. The venerable bookstore chain has let its CEO go, lowered sales expectations, and shrunk its footprint by dozens of stores. Meanwhile Amazon Books is opening stores. Is 2017 the year B&N’s death will become imminent?!  

Beliefs that online shopping has replaced brick-and-mortar shopping are exaggerated, especially when it comes cosmetic and grooming purchases, according to a new The Harris Poll.  

PayPal tapped noted designer Jonathan Adler to personalize gift cards for the payment company’s person-to-person (P2P) payment service. Consumers who opt to use the service to give  money to friends and family, can now choose from six exclusive yet customizable digital holiday and generic gifting cards — a move that personalizes their “gift of money,” and adds a chic touch to an often impersonal gift option.