Digital Marketing

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings announced that its Sears Outlet stores will honor competitor's Black Friday ads through Nov. 30. Customers may bring in a Black Friday ad they find online, and if Sears Outlet has the same item model, brand and color in the store, they will match the price at the time of purchase, even if it is before Black Friday. Full price match details are available at www.searsoutlet.com/holidaypricematch.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended Oct. 29 rose 20% to $211 million, compared with $176 million in the year-ago period.

The retailer cited cost cuts and strong demand for exclusive brands for the strong performance, which matched Wall Street expectations.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores said Thursday that it will kick off the holiday season at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving with three Black Friday sale events.

Black Friday circulars were released Thursday via Facebook and walmart.com to promote the early savings, which include specials on electronics and toys.

"Our customers told us they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early, so we're going to hold special events on Thanksgiving and Black Friday," said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S.

By Dan Pahomi and Peter Leith, [email protected]

Promotions are a key element in any retailer’s arsenal of tools to help drive customer traffic. They are especially important during the holiday season. And, in an economy still fraught with uncertainty, some customers are hardwired only to purchase products on sale. Promotions are crucial for retailers to communicate when new products are available and when they are offering discounts for the items their shoppers want to buy.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced that it is starting its Black Friday promotions at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24), raising the question: "Should we just call it Black Thursday already?"

For the first time, Walmart will open its stores at 10 p.m. to offer customers special savings on top toys, home and apparel. Deals include Barbie dolls for $5 each, a $20 inflatable snowman, a 20-piece Paula Deen cookware set for $86.44 and kids character sleepwear sets for $4.47. 

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Shopkick, the location-based shopping app, announced that Old Navy has joined its partner alliance, with Shopkick walk-in rewards to be live in all of Old Navy's nearly 1,000 U.S. locations. To celebrate, Old Navy will offer $10 off of a $40 purchase plus 150 Shopkick reward points for the partnership's first weekend (Nov. 10 – Nov. 13), available exclusively through the Shopkick app.

New York City -- The Conference Board reported Wednesday that U.S. households are expected to spend an average of $497 on gifts this holiday season. Just 7% of consumers said they plan to spend more on holiday gifts this year, while approximately 40% plan on spending less than last year.

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Old Navy has become the latest retailer to partner with Shopkick, a shopping mobile app that rewards shoppers for walking into stores. Customers who have the shopkick app on their smartphones will be able to receive walk-in rewards at any of Old Navy's nearly 1,000 U.S. locations, Shopkick reported. To celebrate, Old Navy will offer $10 off of a $40 purchase plus 150 Shopkick reward points for the partnership's first weekend (Nov.