Loyalty Marketing

Seattle -- Starbucks is now offering gift cards that can be sent via Twitter. Under the company’s new “tweet-a-coffee program,” customers in the U.S. can sync their Starbucks account to their Twitter account and tweet to @tweetacoffee and the Twitter handle of the gift recipient, which will then send the recipient a $5 digital eGift.

GNC will be leveraging Dunnhumby’s customer-centricity solutions across all facets of its marketing to more effectively segment and engage with in-store and online customers. This will include personalized communications and offers to shoppers through both online and offline channels.

Caty, N.C. – Consumers have somewhat contradictory desires for greater data privacy and for businesses to have detailed insight into their personal needs, and also have seen improvement in how businesses use personal data. According to a new study from analytics technology provider SAS, 71% of 1,260 respondents surveyed said that recent news about government access to personal data increased their privacy concerns.

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Company has teamed up with the shopping app, Shopkick. Shoppers will be able to earn "kicks," Shopkick’s proprietary reward currency, along with special offers from Penney, when visiting the retailer’s store locations across the country.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is making a big online push for the holidays, including expanding its in-store pick-up program for products ordered online to all of its U.S. stores by Nov. 1 (the service is now available in about half of the chain’s locations). And for the first time, Target will promote the concept of Cyber Week, with an ad campaign Dec. 1 through Dec. 3 that focuses on Cyber Week deals including Cyber Monday.

Despite the challenging economic landscape and a decrease in firearms sales, Cabela’s comparable store sales for the third quarter ended Sept. 28 increased 3.9% — the company’s eighth consecutive quarter of comp store sales increases. Excluding firearms, comparable store sales increased 5.3%.

Target is getting ready for the holidays with a big multichannel push that includes expanding its in-store pick-up program for products ordered online to all of its U.S. stores by Nov. 1 — a service that is now available in about half of the chain’s locations.

Target will run an ad campaign Dec. 1 through Dec. 3 that promotes deals during Cyber Monday and the rest of Cyber week.

New York -- The Millennial generation is expected to outspend Baby Boomers by 2017, yet retailers underestimate the size and purchasing power of this consumer, according to a new study by Berglass + Associates and Women’s Wear Daily.

The study, “What Happens When Millennials Get the Wallet,” found that retailers do not fully understand the needs of Millennials and are employing business strategies and tactics that do not apply to this customer.