Loyalty Marketing

The biggest shopping day of the year is approaching, and shoppers are ready — almost 156 million, to be exact.    On Saturday, Dec. 17, 66% of Americans – an estimated 155.7 million people –plan to or are considering taking advantage of Super Saturday sales to complete their holiday gift list, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The survey, which asked 6,890 consumers about their holiday shopping plans, was conducted Dec. 1 - 7.

Walmart has added to its financial service offerings with a new savings program.   The program, called “Prize Savers,” is a prize-linked savings incentive program available to holders of Walmart MoneyCard, the chain’s branded reloadable pre-paid debit cards, the Associated Press reported.  

Century 21 is expanding into a new market.   The New York City-based off-price retailer will open its 12th store to date, and first in the state of Florida, at Sawgrass Mills, in Sunrise. The 85,000-sq.-ft. store will open on Dec. 16.    The Florida location will feature the retailer’s C21-On-1 Stylist Program, providing shoppers with the opportunity to book a free one-on-one appointment with a fashion stylist.         

Sears is taking the saying, “it is better to give than to receive” to heart.   Coinciding with its “Season of Wishes” holiday campaign, the department store chain is rewarding shoppers at Sears Hometown and outlet stores who donate $5 to Make-A-Wish with a “Very Merry Santa Sale” pass for an extra discount between Dec. 15 and Dec. 24.   

A mixed bag of activity for the second week of December indicates that weekends — and perfectly timed promotions — will make or break the remainder of holiday e-commerce sales.  

The countdown is on.    With 12 shopping days left before Christmas, holiday shoppers mean business. They have their shopping lists in hand, devices are charged, and they want their desired merchandise in their hands — fast. And with Adobe reporting that 5% of customers drive 35% of revenue, retailers would be foolish not to deliver.   

An unknown donor brought holiday cheer to some Walmart customers in Pennsylvania.     A mystery person under the name "Santa B" paid off $46,265.59 in layaway items at Walmart’s store in Everett, Pennsylvania, CNBC reported. The amount covered the balances on 149 layaway accounts.    

A Florida-based supermarket company tops J.D. Power’s 2016 U.S. Pharmacy Study.   Publix Pharmacy, the in-store pharmacy at Publix Super Markets, came out on top in the J.D. Power report, a customer satisfaction benchmark study that provides pharmacy-specific performance comparisons among brick-and-mortar pharmacies.  

Restoration Hardware reported better-than-expected earnings and sales for the third quarter, but the upscale home furnishings retailer cut its full-year outlook amid slow sales of its holiday collection.    The company also said that its name will change in January to RH, which is the same as its stock ticker.   Restoration Hardware reported net income of $2.5 million. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, were 19 cents per share.  

Consumers’ demand for stylish workout wear no shows on slowing down.        Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s sales rose 13% to $544.4 million, surpassing Wall Street estimates.   Total comparable sales, which includes comparable store sales and direct to consumer, increased by 7%. Same-store sales rose 4%.      Profit in the quarter was 47 cents a share, excluding some items. Analysts estimated 43 cents on average.