Mobile Marketing

New York – American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. is launching “Rock Your Walk,” a series of consumer-created videos showing them wearing American Eagle jeans the retailer says will create a “virtual denim runway” stretching across the U.S. Consumers can upload videos via Instagram or Vine on PC or mobile device and have them added to the virtual runway displayed online.

Boston -- Japanese retailer Yummie House is piloting a new mobile rewards solution at 10 stores in Shanghai, China. Yummie House is using a joint application from Appconomy and ByteLight that combines the cloud-based Appconomy Platform mobile marketing platform solution with ByteLight light field communication (LFC) technology.

Los Angeles — Westfield, an Australian-based company that operates 47 U.S. malls, is leveraging mobile technology and social media to promote its back-to-school campaign. 

New York -- Consumers continue to hold tight to their purse strings and will rely heavily on online and mobile channels while they shop, according to Deloitte’s annual “Back-to-School” and “Back-to-College” surveys. 

Shoppers are far more optimistic about the economy than this time last year. Nearly four in 10 (37%) are more confident in the economy’s prospects, compared with just one-quarter (26%) a year ago. 

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid is launching a loyalty program for consumers 65 and up. The new program is the latest extension of the chain’s customer loyalty program wellness+.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid, the third-largest drug chain in the nation, is pursuing the lucrative senior market with its latest marketing campaign centered on its new extension to the Wellness+ loyalty card program.

By combining offers with other retailers or entities, retailers can avoid being victimized by the “adverse selection” of consumers who simply look for the largest discount they can find at a given time, Alex Rampell, CEO and co-founder of offer-based payment platform TrialPay, told attendees at the recent Retailer Roundtable event sponsored by digital gifting platform CashStar.

“Offering a massive discount just gets people to go elsewhere for a bigger discount,” said Rampell. “Those consumers do not develop into loyal customers.”

New York – U.S. consumers spent more last month as real home prices and initial unemployment claims continued to improve. The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index for June 2013, which comprises four components of tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices, increased to 4.3 from a reading of 4.2 the previous month.   
Following is a summary of the four main components of the Index:

Tax Burden: The tax rate is up from last year, and is now at 12%.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — As retailers large and small vie for foot traffic during the highly competitive back-to-school season, GameStop is focusing its efforts on the segment of its market that is on summer vacation.

The multichannel video game retailer has launched a five-week Summer Playcation promotion the offers gamers deals now through Aug. 18 in all U.S. GameStop locations.

Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue21 is partnering with Sony Pictures Entertainment to promote the release of "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.” The promotion awards a winner with two tickets to the Hollywood movie premiere; three additional winners receive movie prize packs.

In addition, Rue21 is hosting two legs of Sony Pictures' 10-market mall tour where fans can see the stars of the film, Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower. Rue21 is hosting the events at the Chicago Ridge Mall (Chicago) and Franklin Mills Mall (Philadelphia).