Digital Marketing

Having passed the calendar’s mid-point, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the top 10 most-viewed stories of the year (to date) on Chainstoreage.com.

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Pinterest is rolling out its “Buyable Pins” feature, which allow consumers to purchase items directly from Pinterest visual displays, to users of its iPhone and iPad apps. This gives retailers a new avenue to engage digital consumers, while e-commerce platforms like Amazon, eBay, Google and even Wal-Mart Marketplace have a new competitor.

Mount Shasta, Calif. – Following the lead of Pinocchio, online puppet and educational toy retailer ePuppets Inc. is joining the “real” world.

E-Puppets will open its first physical store on July 4, in its headquarters town of Mount Shasta, California.

After initially quibbling with an investigation that found instances of incorrectly priced products at stores in New York, Whole Foods co-CEOs, Walter Robb and John Mackey offered a mea culpa in a YouTube video.

The nearly two minute video appeared on Whole Foods YouTube channel on July 1, eight days after the New York Daily News first published an article based on an investigation by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA).

Staples is coming to the rescue of consumers with long school supply lists by creating an inventive new way to attract these shoppers.

The retailer has created a panel of experts called the Back to School Council to offer advice to teachers, parents and students on how to get prepared for the next school year.

From the latest products and technology to cost-saving deals and easy ways to get ready for the school year, the council will offer up advice through their blogs and social media channels.

The experts are:

Minneapolis – Best Buy is putting a spotlight on the way technology is impacting home appliances.

The retailer is partnering with Samsung on a new in-store concept, “Samsung Open House,” a 20-sq.-ft. area inside Best Buy stores that feature the largest dedicated in-store branded display of Samsung appliances anywhere.

Carrollton, Texas – The range of social media keeps expanding, and TGI Fridays is now including burgers. The casual dining chain has launched “Buy A Burger, Give A Burger,” a new promotion that allows customers to let their friends compete for free burgers through social media.

San Francisco -- Pinterest on Tuesday officially started its foray into e-commerce.

The social networking giant has started rolling out a “buy it” button on its pins on iPhone and iPad apps.  It also is launching new shop categories, including "Shop our picks," a curated selection of seasonal goods, and "Shop" for the latest buyable Pins.

Retailers deliver personalized, seamless mobile experience

In his classic posthumous memoir “A Moveable Feat,” Ernest Hemingway describes 1920s Paris as an interconnected place where you could obtain any food, drink or entertainment you wanted at any time. While the days of glamorous expatriate writers tramping across Europe are long gone, retailers are increasingly trying to recreate the atmosphere of seamless access to whatever your heart desires, via mobile devices and apps.

Blue Apron. Dollar Shave Club. The RealReal. The Honest Company.