Mobile Marketing

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores is changing the way it connects with shoppers.    Coinciding with efforts to “modernize” its brand, the arts and crafts retailer is adopting mobile technology as a means of fostering collaboration and enhancing the shopping experience. Jo-Ann’s new mobile app will enable users to shop for supplies, find project ideas, redeem mobile coupons, and find and share project “How-To’s.”  

Parents may be using mobile to look for deals this back-to-school season, but most purchases are happening in-store.   Sixty-eight percent (68%) of shoppers will make their back-to-school purchases in-store vs. 32% who would prefer to shop only online, according to the “2017 Back-to-School Sales Report,” from ChargeItSpot.  

Simon is debuting a new type of concierge — one that never calls in sick.   The mall owner launched a chatbot designed to deliver customers at its 208 North American centers useful information as they shop.  Described as the industry’s first enterprise-wide bot, the artificial intelligence-based technology is available through Facebook Messenger, and provides store and restaurant information, hours of operation, special events, daily promotions and a list of available amenities.  

A jump in mobile ads and daily users contributed to another strong quarter for Facebook — one that also beat analyst expectations. For the second quarter ended June 30, total revenue rose 45% to $9.32 billion. This is a significant jump from $6.436 billion for the same period in 2016. Revenues for the quarter also beat analyst forecasts of $9.20 billion, according to Thomson Reuters. This is the ninth straight quarter that Facebook has exceeded analyst expectations.

The recipe for success in food retail is changing at breakneck speed. Economic drivers, such as commodity deflation, make revenue growth difficult. At the same time, demographic trends – including the rise of both millennials and centennials – undermine tried-and-tested business models. And now they are faced with the game changing move by Amazon with its planned acquisition of Whole Foods.  

Consumers are in search of the latest back-to-school deals and experiences — and hitting their local shopping centers to find them.   This was according to the annual “ICSC Back-to-School Spending” survey. The report from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which was conducted between July 6-July 9, is based on a sample of 1,010 U.S. adults, 18 years of age and older.   

For all the buzz about interactive digital marketing options, the track record of email keep it at the top of marketers’ holiday wish lists.    This was according to the “2017 Christmas in July Survey,” a study from j2 Global. The study tapped 564 members of its customer base and 100 retailers.