Mobile Marketing

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has made its first major foray into beacon technology as the retailer continues to look for ways to enhance the in-store shopping experience with digital tools.

The retailer announced it is testing beacons at 50 stores nationwide, including locations in Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle. The company said it plans to expand the service to more stores later this year.

On the heels of Amazon's Prime Day promotion, Walmart.com is kicking off hundreds of special buys timed to a historical spike in traffic when customers start the bulk of their back-to-school shopping.

According to Walmart, traffic to Walmart.com doubles in the four days from July 31 to Aug. 3 as customers turn their attention from the pool back to school. So Walmart is kicking off Back to Class Cyber Days online and on its mobile app, featuring 30% more Rollbacks and hundreds of exclusive discounts.

Bentonville, Ark. -- It’s the dog days of summer and that can only mean one thing: consumers are thinking back to school.

Las Vegas - American consumers are increasingly comfortable with shopping through their smartphones, and many are using digital channels like social media and email marketing to engage with apparel brands.

According to a survey by advertising/marketing technology provider Fluent Inc., roughly 30% of respondents said that they have bought clothing using their smartphones.

New York -- A recent study shatters several myths about the largest generation of young people since the baby boomers: millennials.

“At 79 million strong, the millennial generation has a tremendous amount of spending power that is growing rapidly,” said Robert Tomei, IRI’s president of consumer and shopper marketing.

Tomei said he sees a lot of potential for marketing growth.

Woodland Hills, Calif. – A good politician knows to focus locally, and increasingly retailers are following that lead. In that spirit BrightStreet Ventures, the technology affiliate of shopping center developer NewMark Merrill Companies, has launched BlueList, a real-time mobile offers service for local merchants and nearby consumers.

This back-to-school season Old Navy is asking kids at Boys & Girls Clubs around the country what it means to be #Unlimited.

The push vs. pull debate has now crossed into mobile marketing and, similar to discussions regarding email marketing and other online initiatives, each approach offers pros and cons. And, as with most debates, a healthy balance is usually the best bet.

Some liken push marketing to spam as consumers often experience unexpected or too many promotional offers via smartphone either through a browser or native app. But when you are in the market for whatever message or offer is pushed, the promotion becomes relevant and pulls you in.