Social Media

Menlo Park, Calif. – Facebook is expanding the availability of its Place Tips in-store mobile promotion service, and also expanding Place Tips’ reach with free Bluetooth Low Energy beacons. Facebook initially launched a trial of Place Tips in January 2015 and is now rolling it out nationwide.

Orlando, Fla. – “Breaking bread” is the tradition of mixing socialization with eating, and Olive Garden is taking the concept to a new, virtual level. To promote its new breadstick sandwiches, Olive Garden is launching the “Breadsticks Nation” sweepstakes, powered by social engagement technology from HelloWorld.

PetSmart is enlisting the help of a cat-loving celebrity to launch a new kind of social media campaign.

The retailer has teamed up with actress Mayim Bialik to celebrate cat ownership and encourage cat adoption. Mayim, a longtime cat lover who is very passionate about adoption, has an adopted cat named Frances, a once feral cat that was deserving of a forever home. 

Williams-Sonoma is rolling out a fast, easy and secure way to pay online that brings a whole new meaning to instant gratification.

The retailer is teaming up with Visa to launch a marketing campaign and four-part video series called “Time to Savor Summer.”  The video series, launched in support of the availability of Visa Checkout on the Williams-Sonoma e-commerce site, will be “shoppable” due to YouTube’s new shoppable video technology.

San Francisco – Summertime, and the living (and shopping) is easy. Williams-Sonoma Inc. is adhering to this summer ethic by partnering with Visa to launch a co-marketing campaign and four-part video series called “Time to Savor Summer.”  The video series, launched in support of the availability of the Visa Checkout online checkout service on the Williams-Sonoma e-commerce site, will be “shoppable” due to YouTube’s new shoppable video technology.

Neiman Marcus customers will soon be able to purchase their favorite finds via Buyable Pins on Pinterest.

The retailer announced that millions of pins on Pinterest later this month will become buyable, offering a simple and secure way for customers to buy their favorite finds. In just a few taps, on any iOS enabled device, a customer can buy the products he or she has Pinned or discovered. This service will be solely offered in the U.S. at this time.

New York - ATGStores.com, an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Lowe’s, has increased conversions by 14% with customized product videos from Treepodia. This represents a 5.5 times ROI based on the increase in sales.

ATGStores.com carries a selection of lighting, furniture, hardware, plumbing and home décor. The retailer had created its own “how-to-videos” to help customers with their own projects but wanted to create product videos on a large scale.

Vera Bradley Inc. has hired an executive with the Fossil Group to be its new chief marketing officer.

Vera Bradley announced that Theresa Palermo has been named CMO and will join the company on June 22.