Loyalty Marketing

Look for Martha Stewart to appear on the QVC channel.   Sequential Brands Group announced a multi-year agreement with QVC for Sequential’s Martha Stewart brand. Under the agreement, QVC will launch several categories for the brand, including skincare, fashion apparel, and food and beverage.  

While sales across floral divisions were strong, a late Easter impacted 1-800-Flowers.com’s third quarter revenues.    For the quarter ended April 2, 2017, revenues were $233.7 million, a slight dip compared to $234.2 million in the prior year period. This reflects lower year-over-year profits across the Gourmet Food and Gift Baskets divisions due to the Easter holiday shifting into the company’s fiscal fourth quarter this year.  

Much like 2016, the first quarter of 2017 has seen a slow start to consumer spending. However, just like last year, this is expected to be a temporary setback. Strong consumer confidence and income growth have set the stage for a spending bounce back in the second quarter.   

Whether treating mom to jewelry or a special outing at her favorite restaurant, consumers plan to spend more than ever on Mother’s Day.   Specifically, Mother’s Day shoppers are expected to spend an average of $186.39 for the holiday, up from last year’s $172.22, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, which tapped 7,406 consumers about their Mother’s Day plans. The study was conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.  

Birchbox is no longer in the red.   The online subscription beauty retailer has achieved profitability, MediaPost reported, and is returning to television advertising with a spot that speaks to the joy the company’s monthly beauty box brings to its customers.   Founded in 2010, Birchbox had a tough 2016 during which it cut costs and laid off staff. But investments in technology and automation have helped it turn a corner.    

Michaels and Pinterest are merging crafts and digital promotions to get artisans’ creative juices flowing.   The two companies are teaming up to sell a kit that can inspire newbies or the most experienced crafter to create one of the most trending projects on Pinterest. The co-branded Make It Kits were developed using Pinterest insights and trends, along with Michaels’ product expertise and e-commerce capabilities, according to Michaels.  

GNC Holdings’ income and revenue declined in the first quarter, but the company said it is encouraged by the results of its marketing and pricing revamp.    Net income totaled $23.9 million, or 35 cents per share during the quarter, compared with $50.8 million, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago period year. Adjusted earnings were 37 cents per share, which was above estimates.   Revenue totaled $644.8 million during the quarter from $668.9 million last year, but still above estimates. 

Some of the biggest names in retailing and foodservice used experiences to encourage a high percentage buyers to visit at least once last year.   Specifically, Walmart, McDonald’s and Target had more than five out of six U.S. consumers shopping with them in 2016, according to “The Checkout Penetration Index,” from The NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking.