Digital Marketing

Getting a handle on innovative technologies can be overwhelming — especially for parents of Generation X’ers and millennials.    To keep its associates’ moms in the know, 1-800 Flowers is hosting an educational, hands-on experience showcasing how the company fosters a culture of innovation and leverages emerging technologies.  

Kroger Co. wants to give its employees a voice — and now they have one.   Eager to highlight the accomplishments, milestones, and personal connections made by its associates, Kroger Co. introduced Krogersteries.com, a website dedicated to its employees’ contributions, and the impact they make on the company.   

A former Spice Girl has a new career.   Emma Bunton, a.k.a. Baby Spice, is the co-founder of a new environmentally-friendly diaper and skincare online store, according to Retail Gazette.   

Highly promotional activity and increased multichannel initiatives not only helped Shoe Carnival hit its expectations, but exceed $1 billion in net sales for the year.   For the quarter ended January 28, 2017, the retailer’s net sales were $234.2 million, a 0.2% increase, compared to net sales of $233.7 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. While it was in line with its goals, this was just shy of Wall Street’s prediction for sales of $235 million.  

State-of-the-art digital screens that can identify demographic information of passersby and pitch them personalized offers from brands are making their way into Westfield malls in top DMAs.   Employing a proprietary suite of technologies, the six-foot-tall, high-definition screens scan passersby and — apparently through smartphone data and facial imaging — determine their demographic profiles to serve them customized ads.  

A move to a more fast-fashion model helped Francesca’s to outperform many of its peers in the fourth quarter, with sales and income that topped expectations.       The retailer reported better-than-expected profit of $14.6 million, or 39 cents a share, for the quarter ended January 28, compared to $14.7 million profit, or 35 cents a share, in the year ago period.  

Online reviews have boomed in recent years. Once just another step in the customer decision-making process, they are now a pervasive part of daily life.  

Hollister & Co. is connecting with its shoppers through two of their favorite pastimes: mobility and video games.   Through a partnership with Rovio Entertainment and TreSensa, the re-tailer debuted a mobile video game whose activation functionality func-tions as an ad that connects the brand with loyal and potential shoppers, according to AdAge.