Digital Marketing

By Carin van Vuuren, Usablenet

If there was ever any doubt of mobile’s essential role to retail success, the most recent holiday shopping season should put that to bed. Last year, more than 40% of all Cyber Monday sales came from mobile devices. In fact, Amazon stated that almost 60% of its customers shopped via mobile during the 2014 holiday season, with total U.S. sales from its app doubling from 2013.

Airline passengers mourning the loss of in-flight catalog SkyMall may soon find a familiar sight in their seat pockets.

Scott Jordan, CEO and founder of multi-pocket travel clothing company SCOTTeVEST, intends to fill the vacuum created by SkyMall's loss with a new in-flight shopping experience: SKY2BUY. It will be in planes in test markets around the United States in June or July of this year.

"This summer, fly with SKY2BUY, your new mall in the sky," Jordan said.

Dollar General is thinking digital this spring with a new way to appeal to coupon-clipping customers.

The retailer is launching a new digital coupon program called Fast Way to Save that offers customers approximately $200 each week in online coupon savings now through April 19.

Customers will see additional weekly specials on dozens of discounts on Easter merchandise and a buy-one, get-one free sale on select apparel and accessories, as well as its everyday low prices on thousands of items throughout the store.

Kohl’s is betting big on the notion that a new focus on health and wellness will increase sales.

The retailer is greatly expanding its assortment of active lifestyle and wellness offerings through brand launches, partnerships and unique social integrations that further the company’s commitment to active and well lifestyles promoted under the Make Your Move initiative launched earlier this year.

Amazon is leveraging a hot trend in toys and education with a new online store focused on what is known as STEM.

The shop will feature a variety of toys and games that are focused on encouraging kids to develop science (S), technology (T), engineering (E) and/or math-related (M) skills.

By Dan Goldman, Kurt Salmon

Just like bell-bottoms and leg warmers, mom-and-pop retailers are back. Not long ago, it seemed like they would be permanently relegated to some dusty attic space, a relic fighting for relevancy.

Big-box stores put them there. Between 1992 and 2014, the share of U.S. retail stores owned by companies with fewer than 500 employees fell 13%.i That’s because big boxes promised lower prices and a wider assortment, points brought home by large mass market advertising campaigns.

The North Face’s latest unique marketing campaign is inviting customers to the mountains for a workout without ever leaving the store.

The outdoors and fitness apparel company's latest promotion will bring Mountain Athletics workouts to five cities across the country, and customers are invited to sign up and engage in-store and online via a variety of digital marketing offerings.

Beginning March 31, the North Face will host twice-weekly free strength and conditioning workouts in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston.

Trendy teen retailer American Apparel reported a deep decline in fourth quarter revenue, as the company grapples with a social media scandal and losses stemming from an investigation of its former CEO.

New York -- U.S. companies spend $2 billion on loyalty programs, but the investment isn’t yielding the type of increased engagement which drove implementation of the programs, according to a new report from Capgemini Consulting. For example, the firm found that the average U.S. household is a member of 21 loyalty programs, but only actively uses 44% of them.

Proctor & Gamble is trying to increase Latina interest in its products with a new “Living Fabulosa” (living fabulously) initiative.

It is part pf the company’s Orgullosa campaign, which highlights the unique and complex experience of the modern, bicultural Latina -- the Nueva Latina.