Digital Marketing

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is enticing shoppers this holiday season with new initiatives including price match, exclusive gift offerings and shoppable advertisements.

“Target’s holiday plans are built around an outstanding shopping experience, exclusive merchandise and competitive prices,” said Gregg Steinhafel, Target Chairman, president and CEO. “Our guests will be able to shop with confidence this holiday season knowing that we are intensely focused on providing them the right merchandise at the right price.”

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Shopping app Shopkick has gotten a new look and user interface, making it easier for shoppers to earn rewards and for brands and retailers to engage with their customers.

Minneapolis -- Target announced that, for the first time ever, it will offer shoppers the ability to match select online competitors’ prices in its stores between Nov. 1 and Dec. 16. Qualifying online retailers include Amazon.com, Walmart.com, BestBuy.com and Toysrus.com.

Washington, D.C. -- Most consumers will take a conservative approach with their holiday gift-giving budgets, according to NRF’s holiday consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight. The average holiday shopper will spend $749.51 on gifts, décor, greeting cards and more, up slightly from the $740.57 they spent last year. NRF forecasts that holiday sales will increase 4.1% to $586.1 billion.

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us has launched its annual nationwide fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The company has once agained teamed up with Shaquille O'Neal to encourage customers to "Give Back with Shaq."

Cincinnati — With a focus on increasing square footage and building its presence in both new and existing markets, Kroger is poised for growth in 2013.

AVON, Ohio — Duck Tape brand duct tape is inviting consumers to design the next Duck Tape print for the chance to win $5,000 and have their design seen nationwide.

Designs drawn by hand or with digital editing software are welcome, and entries must be created using one of the Duck Tape design templates found on the Facebook contest tab to be considered.

New York -- Learn how Chico's FAS is staying ahead of the information evolution and providing personalized customer interactions at a Chain Store Age webinar on Thursday, Oct. 18 ( 2 p.m. ET, 11 a.m. PT). Bob Murray, architect of Chico's Store Technology, will discuss such top-of-mind imperatives as loyalty, mobile, and seamless digital connections with the customer in the omni-channel market space.

Neil Ashe, president and CEO of global e-commerce was clearly the most excitable person on stage Wednesday at Walmart’s 19th annual analysts' meeting. And for good reason.

Walmart created its global e-commerce group two years ago and Ashe joined the company back in January. Wednesday was his first opportunity to participate in the company’s annual analysts’ meeting and he made the most of it, slipping in a first ever reference to Walmart’s online revenues that now total $9 billion.

New York -- More and more retailers are using digital technology to enhance the physical store experience and engage customers. In the latest example, Adidas has taken window shopping to a new level with an interactive digital window concept that connects with consumers’ smartphones, making it easy to shop at any time without an app or scanning various QR codes. Consumers shopping for the latest fashion items are using time during a six-week pilot test at the Adidas NEO Label store-front in Nürnberg, Germany.