Loyalty Marketing

Fortified by growing e-commerce sales and time spent across digital channels, the U.S. retail industry will grow its digital ad spending more rapidly this year than in 2012, according to new figures from eMarketer.

By the end of this year, eMarketer predicts, U.S. retailers will have increased digital ad budgets by 15.7% to $9.50 billion, following growth of 14.5% last year.

Free food, double pay and generous merchandise discounts are available to the more than one million Walmart employees called upon to work Thanksgiving weekend.

Walmart on Wednesday highlighted some of the benefits workers at its store will receive this weekend, including a 25% discount off an entire purchase, a Thanksgiving meal throughout Black Friday shifts and double pay for employees willing to endure the madness of Black Friday events scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Toronto -- RBC, Best Buy and Future Shop are partnering to offer a redemption option in Canada that provides clients access to more than 90,000 merchandise and electronic items, through the RBC Rewards online channel.

Boston – College students are planning to buy holiday gifts that offer experiential value or economic flexibility and will frequent discount stores, according to a new survey of roughly 1,000 college students from consumer marketing firm Fluent.

Los Angeles -- Online high-end candy retailer Sugarfina has opened its first-ever store, a 1,400-sq.-ft. boutique in Los Angeles. The brand is known for its signature turquoise Bento Boxes, a luxurious candy gift box, and such “cocktail” candies as Champagne Gummy Bears, Cuba Libre (spiced rum and coke gummies) and Peach Bellini Gummies.

General Growth Properties has created an interactive sweepstakes series called Reindeer Games to promote shopping centers across its portfolio throughout the holiday shopping season.

Starring in Reindeer Games is every kid’s favorite reindeer Rudolph, “with his nose so bright.” Rudolph will lead Santa’s eight other reindeer through a series of nine three-day sweepstakes running from Nov. 28 through Dec. 24. By the end of the promotion, the series will have given away more than $25,000 in prizes.

Los Angeles – A majority of the 348,235 tweets about Black Friday posted between Friday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 24 were either positive or neutral in sentiment. According to analysis from social media research firm Fizziology, tweets about Black Sunday the weekend of Nov. 22-24 were 47% positive, 11% negative, 3% mixed and 39% neutral (from retailers/promotions).

Staples has launched an online ink and toner recycling program. The online program is an expansion of the existing, in-store Staples Rewards ink and toner recycling program.

The online program enables Staples Rewards members to recycle empty ink and toner cartridges by printing a pre-paid shipping label to send their cartridges in for recycling and receive $2 back in Staples Rewards for each one