Digital Marketing

Digital identity solution provider ID.me has unveiled its new retail rewards marketplace, which helps retail brands hyper-target valuable influencers and consumer segments with exclusive offers that are protected from fraud.

Research Triangle Park, N.C. -- Forty-one percent of online retailers plan to offer free shipping and returns as a strategy to increase holiday sales this year, according to a new survey by Channel Advisors, and free shipping also ranked as the most successful service feature for generating a higher level of customer satisfaction. The Multichannel E-Commerce Study also reveals that 86% of surveyed retailers expect to increase their year-over-year online holiday sales in 2014.

Omnichannel investments are driving solid top line growth at Pier 1 Imports but having the opposite effect on profits as the company transitions to an integrated digital business model.

Canada’s leading food and drug retailer Loblaw Companies is highly regarded for its private label prowess and now its President’s Choice brand is the focus of the most ambitious marketing initiative ever.

Kroger plans to open three new fuel center locations this week — in Abingdon, Virginia; Decatur, Georgia; and Louisville, Kentucky — that bring the company's fuel center locations total to 2,000.  

Kroger operates 1,275 supermarket fuel centers and 725 convenience stores with fuel. Combined, the company sells fuel in 37 states and is the third-largest owner-operator of fuel centers in the United States.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Pier I on Wednesday reported income and sales that missed Wall Street forecasts. The retailer also detailed its online growth and omnichannel investments.
 
Pier I posted net income of $9.2 million for the second quarter ended August 30, 2014, down $17.8 million from the year ago period, amid continued investments in omnichannel growth and increased fulfillment costs.

Plug and Play, a business accelerator that specializes in tech startups, is holding its quarterly pitch competition event on its campus in Sunnyvale, California, on Thursday, September 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. PDT. The Plug and Play Fall Expo 2014 will feature 40-plus startup pitches, panel discussions and corporate networking. Chain Store Age will be in attendance — watch for a recap in the next edition of Customer Disruption!

PepsiCo’s top marketer and a former top Macy’s executive are the newest members of off-price retailer Burlington Stores board of directors.

The operator of more than 500 stores expanded its board to eight members with the addition of Frank Cooper III, chief marketing officer, global consumer engagement for PepsiCo’s global beverages group, and William “Mac” McNamara, former chairman and CEO of Macy’s Midwest division.

As more retail promotions migrate online, RetailMeNot has introduced two new products poised to disrupt the traditional print circular.

The new offerings are branded as RetailMeNot Circulars and RetailMeNot Showcase and are part of the company’s portfolio of solutions designed to help retailers and brands increase sales and grow awareness.

New research from an organization called the Luxury Institute found that half the executives in a recent survey are spending at least 30% of their marketing budget on digital methods with an even larger percentage concerned it isn’t enough.