Loyalty Marketing

Macy’s on Wednesday reported its fifth consecutive decline in same-store sales, and announced plans to improve its performance, from new product launches to more off-price shops. The nation’s largest department retailer also reduced its sales and earnings guidance for the year. Similar to many retailers, Macy’s is challenged by an overall retail environment marked by sluggish traffic, increased competition and cautious consumers.

Both Walmart Canada and Loblaw companies sent financial aid to support the relief efforts in the Fort McMurray community. According to reports published Friday morning, fires in the province of Alberta have to date forced the evacution of 88,000 residents and destroyed more than 1,600 structures.

Well informed. Well connected. Price sensitive.

Those three terms sum up the modern American female consumer, according to a new study from Blackhawk Engagement Solutions, which reveals that that price holds the most weight (75%) when it comes to influencing a purchase, followed by quality (55%). Other factors affecting women’s purchase decisions include brand (31%), store (26%) and availability (14%).

It may seem a little premature given that school is still in session, but the first back-to-school study has been released.

About 62% of households plan to reduce back-to- school spending compared to 2015, according to a survey by Bizrate Insights, a division of Connexity. Average spend will be $606, or $1,086 for households with college-age children.

Wine aficionados have a new, expanded digital resource to shop for their favorite vintage.

eBay has introduced eBay Wine, a new section of its e-commerce site that features the ability to browse collectible, rare and everyday wines.

Consumers can search eBay’s assortment of more than 10,000 wines using attributes including varietal, region, price point, and price format (“buy it now” or auctions for rare bottles). Shoppers will be able to purchase wine and ship to almost anywhere in the U.S.

One of my favorite times of the year is teaching at the ICSC University of Shopping Centers. I co-teach “Marketing & Social Media: Shopping Centers in the Digital Age” with Tim O’Connell, assistant VP, director of digital marketing and communications, at RPAI. While we present stats, trends and case studies, what energizes me most are the collaborative class discussions on how other shopping centers owners are progressing with their social media efforts.

There are a lot of options in decorating a home, and Los Angeles-based Z Gallerie wants to match its offerings to customer tastes.

“We’ve been known for one particular style, which our customers love and that we’ve done quite well with,” said Chris Nicklo, VP customer and chief marketing officer of Z Gallerie. “But to grow, we knew we would need to appeal to a broader spectrum of customers.”

User data from Pinterest shows that more than one-in-three of its 100 million global users are millennials. In addition, 79% of millennial Pinterest users say the platform is a “guide to life and is a place to teach me how to do things,” compared with 71% of all Pinterest monthly users.

Other notable millennial-related findings include: