Loyalty Marketing

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears announced that it has created a list of perfect Father's Day gifts with the help of its mySears community and Facebook fans. The company polled its consumers and yielded more than 700 responses to determine the ultimate "Gift Guy'd," the company reported.

Target and Walmart remain in what is essentially a dead heat as far as prices on food and consumables are concerned, according to the most recent study of prices in Dallas and Chicago conducted by Credit Suisse. The firm looked at a basket of 60 items across the two markets, as it does every month, and in keeping with prior comparisons, the data for April showed Target lagged Walmart by 3.4% in Chicago and 4.6% in Dallas.

WASHINGTON — Ongoing economic challenges and high gas prices won’t put a dent in shoppers spending intentions this Father’s Day, according to new research from the National Retail Federation.

Shares of Target are on sale. After beginning the year slightly above the $60 mark, it has been a steady slide downward for the first five months of this year, and now shares regularly trade below $50.

Eden, Minn. -- Young America, an engagement marketing, loyalty and incentive firm, and 3Seventy, a mobile engagement solutions company, have formed a strategic alliance to jointly develop new mobile marketing capabilities and enhance delivery of mobile-based engagement marketing and loyalty services to their client base.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Winn-Dixie president, chairman and CEO Peter Lynch expressed confidence in the grocer as it heads into its fourth quarter, maintaining that the grocer's estimated adjusted EBITDA will come in at the lower end of the $100 million to $130 million range for fiscal 2011, a 52-week period ending June 29, in light of relatively flat third-quarter results.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s reported that its first quarter diluted earnings per share increased 14% to 73 cents, in line with Citi and Stifel analysts expectations and with the company's updated guidance that EPS would be toward the high-end of 68 cents to 73 cents (provided on May 5). Net income for the quarter was $211 million, compared with $199 million (64 cents per diluted share) a year ago. Net sales were $4.2 billion, an increase of 3.1% for the quarter. Comparable-store sales for the quarter increased 1.3%.

Lewisville, Texas -- Fifty percent of retailers and almost as many manufacturers (48%) use rebate programs as part of their customer loyalty and promotions mix, according to report by the Aberdeen Group.

"Our findings revealed a very persuasive business case for rebates," said Chris Cunnane, senior research associate with the Aberdeen Group. "We have a deep expertise in retail and manufacturing research, and this report demonstrates the value of rebate programs for both of these groups."