Digital Marketing

Amazon.com reportedly has some big plans in store for its Prime Now on-demand delivery service.

According to Bloomberg, the online retailer will release Prime Now, currently only available as a smartphone app, on its website in May 2016. Amazon is also attempting to sell online Prime Now advertising packages for as much as $500,000.

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Target announced it is testing an expansion of its Cartwheel app, which launched in 2013. The retailer reported that the app has saved users, in total, $475 million (and counting) to date.

The new feature expands the app to allow for digital coupons from manufacturers that offer a dollar amount discount (rather than a percentage discount).

The service is made possible through a partnership with Quotient (formerly Coupons.com), a third-party provider of digital coupons, according to a report by TechCrunch.

Although Amazon.com recently more than tripled the number of items available via its Amazon Dash buttons and cited some impressive growth statistics, actual use may be relatively low.

According to daily analysis of a panel of more than 4 million online shoppers from digital commerce research firm Slice Intelligence, fewer than 50% of people who had bought a Dash button before Amazon expanded the assortment on March 31 had ever actually made an order using one.

For only the third time in three years, Kroger has created a new installment of its Savor World Flavor globally themed promotional effort.
 

When it comes to marketing spending, Deckers Brands is doing more with less.

The Goleta, California-based vertical apparel retailer is performing advanced predictive analytics on the performance of different marketing activities for its North American direct-to-consumer Ugg specialty footwear business. This includes an e-commerce site, as well as 45 stores.

American Eagle Outfitters is launching another viral marketing campaign, this time with a funny focus on the fight against the body shaming of men.

The retailer is kicking off its #AerieMAN campaign, featuring a mix of quirky male characters of different sizes and personalities sharing "real life" stories in their skivvies. American Eagle's Skinny Skinny Jean and American Beagle Outfitters campaigns were huge successes in 2013 and 2014. Now the brand is focused on raising awareness around body diversity.

No, Trader Joe’s is not closing, and GrubHub is not launching a new ride share service called “Gruber.”

These are just two of the many fake news announcements circulating this April 1, a day traditionally dedicated to pranks and jokes. The retail-related April Fools hoax that by far has gotten the most attention, a false report that organic grocer Trader Joe’s would shutter all stores and discontinue all branded products by 2017, was actually released March 31.

Featuring 250 boutiques and designers from the U.S. and Canada, online marketplace site Garmentory connects brick-and-mortar boutiques and emerging designers to shoppers all over the globe via their online platform and mobile site, according to a CNBC.com report.

Amazon Prime will now be available as a bundled monthly service for Sprint mobile subscribers, but they will pay for the convenience. According to Re/Code, Sprint users will be able to have the cost of Amazon Prime membership included in their bill. They will also be able to subscribe to the two-day delivery service on a month-to-month basis, at a cost of $10.99 per month. During the course of a year, that equals about 33% more than the normal $99 annual rate. [Re/Code]