Loyalty Marketing

Los Angeles -- American Express is preparing to launch a customer loyalty program in the U.S. that will enable shoppers at select retailers to rack up points that they can use toward future purchases at Macy's, Exxon Mobil, AT&T and other participating companies.

The free program, set to debut in May, is dubbed Plenti and will also include Nationwide, Rite Aid, Direct Energy and Hulu, American Express said Wednesday.

Target has been hit with a slew of negative reports recently, and now the retailer is trying to do something positive for its image by making its return policy more shopper-friendly.

Target Corp. announced an enhanced return policy Wednesday covering all of the retailer’s 32 owned and exclusive brands, which extends the return window to one year from the date of purchase. The retailer also rolled out a one-year return guarantee for guests using Target’s baby, college or wedding gift registry.

Rite Aid has become one of the key retail partners in a first for the U.S. market: a coalition loyalty program called Plenti that includes the likes of American Express, AT&T, Direct Energy, Exxon/Mobil, Hulu, Macy's and Nationwide.

Plano, Texas – Deb Berman, chief marketing officer of The J.C. Penney Co. Inc., has left the company. In a statement, J.C. Penney said Berman left of her own accord.

Berman came to Penney from Kraft Foods Group in August 2013, as part of CEO Mike Ullman’s attempt to rebuild the retailer’s management team.  She served at Kraft as VP of marketing and engagement and also had prior experience working at advertising agencies.
 

JCPenney has lost its chief marketing officer at a time when the company has been trying to rebuild its brand image.

Trendy pet retailer Kriser's is opening another store in the Houston market as it blazes a trail of expansion across middle America.

New York-based retailer Bob’s Stores has had stores all over the Northeast for more than a half-century, but now the company has finally set its sights on Maine shoppers.

The retailer will hold a grand opening for its first location in the state of Maine, in South Portland, at 301 Maine Mall Road, on March 22.

Bob’s last opened a store in October 2011 in East Northport, N.Y.

By Chris Mike, Chirpify

These days, retailers spend a lot of time obsessing over letters, specifically CAC and CLV. Most know these terms as shorthand for customer acquisition cost and customer lifetime value. Both are key concepts and incredibly important metrics if you operate a retail business.