Digital Marketing

Washington, D.C. -- A survey released by the National Retail Federation and conducted by BIGInsight found that the average parent will spend $688.62 on back-to-school items this year, compared with $603.63 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $30.3 billion.

NRF cited an increased number of children entering elementary and middle school this fall, as well as necessary back-to-school replenishments after last year’s cutbacks, for the predicted improvements.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Classrooms by Walmart is the name of a new social media initiative the retailer launched Tuesday to simplify back-to-school shopping for millions of moms who view the season as an opportunity for a fresh start.

Dollar General shoppers have until Aug. 19 to participate in a PepsiCo cause marketing initiative involving country mega star Brad Paisley.

PLANO, Texas — JCPenney has enlisted the services of Nina Garcia, a well-known fashion expert to help the company become more of a style destination. Garcia, who serves as fashion director of Marie Claire and as a judge on the fashion reality show, "Project Runway," will serve as the company's resident style voice and fashion collection curator.

WAYNE, N.J.  — Toys"R"Us, Nickelodeon and Playmates Toys have a potential cash cow on their hands with the revamped "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" CG-animated series and corresponding line of action figures, vehicles, role play items and playsets. The series premieres Saturday, Sept. 29, at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT) with a one-hour special event. The toys, developed by Playmates, is available in stores and online.

Chicago -- Amazon ranks as the coolest mobile or social affiliate program,  according to a survey conducted by EPiServer, a provider of multichannel digital marketing and e-commerce software. The  survey was conducted among CEOs, VPs, directors and e-commerce managers at more than 94 organizations including retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, catalogers, web-only merchants and local-retailers.

New York -- Foursquare announced the release of Local Updates, a new way for retailers to connect with loyal customers when they are nearby. The free tool will allow retailers to offer deals and specials to users in the area that have previously “Liked” or checked-in at their establishment.

Palto Alto, Calif. -- Shopkick, the location-based shopping app that rewards shoppers for walking into stores and interacting with products, and Macy's, announced a full national rollout in more than 800 Macy’s stores of the shopping application.

HUDSON, Ohio — Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores has launched an iPad app to help customers find everything they need for their next project.

“Our customers crave fresh inspiration delivered to them through a variety of means. What we have accomplished with the Jo-Ann app for iPad is consolidating all of these inspiration sources into one highly engaging experience called the Idea Center,” said Riddi Kline, SVP and chief marketing officer for Jo-Ann.

NEW YORK — eBay's latest move to brand itself as more than just an online auction site, involves the launch of an exclusive designer collection for the holiday season. The company has partnered with designers Billy Reid, Chris Benz, Fallon, Jonathan Adler, Ruffian, Steven Alan and Tibi for an original, limited-edition gift collection of men’s and women’s apparel, jewelry, travel and electronics accessories and home décor.