Retailer Campaigns

PriceGrabber, a leading distributed e-commerce platform and shopping site, conducted its Winter Holiday Shopping Survey and found that 69% of consumers plan to shop at the same retailers at which they shopped last year.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN (HSNi) is leveraging the cumulative power of its portfolio of leading lifestyle brands, which include HSN, Frontgate and Ballard Designs, to launch More the Merrier, a multi-platform holiday campaign. The campaign will include digital gift guides; special promotional offers, contests and sweepstakes.

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R’ Us is launching its digital wish finder, a dedicated website providing an online version of its “The Great Big Toys"R"Us Wish Finder” holiday catalog, on Nov. 2. The retailer is also launching The Toys"R"Us Wish List Wizard, a free iOS and Android app that turns parents’ smartphones into a scanner and lets kids scan items they want in-store for automatic inclusion on a digital wish list.

Free standing inserts remain a popular promotional vehicle, but weakness in other aspects of the Valassis business model have CEO Rob Mason vowing major changes after a third quarter sales decline.

Target is getting ready for the holidays with a big multichannel push that includes expanding its in-store pick-up program for products ordered online to all of its U.S. stores by Nov. 1 — a service that is now available in about half of the chain’s locations.

Target will run an ad campaign Dec. 1 through Dec. 3 that promotes deals during Cyber Monday and the rest of Cyber week.

New York – Despite many forecasts of a gloomy holiday season for retailers, Deloitte is predicting an increase in consumer spending. Deloitte's 28th annual survey of holiday spending intentions and trends indicates shoppers surveyed plan to spend an average of $421 on holiday gifts this year, up from $386 last year. They also expect to buy an average of 12.9 gifts, ending a five-year decline in the number of gifts they plan to purchase.

Los Angeles – Almost seven-in-10 (66%) shoppers feel retailers will offer better prices and discounts this year due to the current state of the economy. The new Winter Holiday Shopping Survey from PriceGrabber also shows that 21% of holiday shoppers said they started saving money before June, while the majority of survey respondents plan to start shopping for the holidays in October and November.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is enlisting Jonna Mendez, a former CIA officer and mom who will serve as a “Kids’ Gift Detective.” Inspired by her years of CIA experience, Mendez will offer online tips and techniques via a video series at ABullseyeView.com where she works with popular mom bloggers.

In addition, Target will offer a dedicated kids’ gifts page on its website and will launch a digital gift catalog in early November.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods is opening a new store in Osage Beach, Mo., on Nov. 1. The Osage beach location will be the retailer's 12th store in the state of Missouri and its 551st nationwide.

“We look forward to opening our new Dick's Sporting Goods in Osage Beach, becoming part of the community and serving athletes of all ages by providing them the equipment they need to excel," said Lauren Hobart, senior VP & chief marketing officer, Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Big Lots has appointed former Kmart executive Andrew Stein as the company's SVP and chief customer officer, as the company focuses more intensely on bolstering its digital footprint.