Mobile Marketing

New York –- There is a high demand among consumers for mobile apps that would make the Black Friday shopping experience easier. According to data from Verizon, 80% of consumers say knowing where to get the best Black Friday deals would make their experience easier.  

Redwood City, Calif. – About seven in 10 (68%) of consumers plan on doing most or all of their holiday shopping online. According to a new survey of nearly 1,000 consumers from from digital video advertising provider YuMe Inc., 77% are likely to buy some type of wearable technology.   Other key findings include:  

Ridgefield, N.J. –- Samsung is taking direct aim at the burgeoning market for Apple’s iBeacon in-store marketing/messaging solution with its own new beacon-based tool called Proximity. Like iBeacon, Proximity uses Bluetooth Low Energy beacons to identify and track the location of shoppers in a store by their mobile devices and send them offers and promotions based both on their purchase history and location in the store.  

When asked which Cyber Monday offers they will take advantage of, 70% of consumers said deals. In addition, a new survey from FatWallet.com shows that 42% said coupons, 31% said cash back, 51% said storewide discounts and 68% said free shipping.  

New York -- According to Nielsen’s 2014 Holiday Retail Sales Forecast, nearly 25% of consumers polled had already started their holiday shopping in September. However, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still relevant, as 52% of respondents in a just released Black Friday/Cyber Monday survey stated that they plan to venture into stores on Black Friday and 55% of respondents stated that they plan to fire up their computers for Cyber Monday. 

Department store retailer Belk has enlisted a hot male model to serve as a non-traditional Santa Claus at the center of a multifaceted digital initiative.

Minneapolis --The competition for the holiday shopper continues with the news that Target Corp. is kicking off the holiday season extra early this year, with plans to offer early access to Black Friday deals for one-day only on Nov. 10, a pre-sale on Nov. 26, and a 6 p.m. store opening on Thanksgiving evening.

Pleasant Ridge, Mich. -- Belk has teamed with HelloWorld, a provider of rich engagement solutions, to launch Santa Baby Sweepstakes, a holiday-themed multi-channel incentive program accessible across digital and mobile channels.   

Plug and Play brings together retailers and start-ups that offer specific technology and expertise that can relieve merchants’ pain points. Chain Store Age’s Customer Disruption newletter provides a Q&A with the CEO of one of those companies in each issue. This time, the spotlight is on John McIntyre of Sightly.   What does Sightly do?  

Customers at Target are being given expanded opportunities to engage with the retailer this holiday season thanks to extended hours and early access to promotional offers.