Marketing Tactics

Social sharing, editorial commerce and improved targeting are said to be among the technological upgrades leading footwear brand and retailer Steve Madden has made to its Web site.

Retailers on the lookout for new products will find an innovative item from Welch’s gives shoppers a whole new way to PB&J and extends the Welch’s brand deeper into the snack category.

Founded in 2007, Julep is a fast-growing omnichannel beauty brand that takes a social approach to product development. The brand, which is perhaps best known for its monthly beauty box delivery program, has raised $30 million in Series C financing.

New investors Azure Capital, Madrona Venture Group and Altimeter Capital, as well as existing investors Andreessen Horowitz and Maveron, participated in the round. The new investment brings Julep's total venture funding to $56 million.

Warmer spring weather spurred continued consumer spending and activity this March. According to the National Retail Federation, March retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, increased 0.8% adjusted month-to-month and 1.6% unadjusted year-over-year.

For the second consecutive year, 99 Cents Only Stores will be sponsoring Big Bunny's Spring Fling at the Los Angeles Zoo, which will be taking place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday, April 18, through Easter Sunday, April 20.

99ers will be handing out goodies to all zoo guests. The Big Bunny's Spring Fling weekend entertainment will include bunny-related crafts, an Eggucation Station and photo opportunities along with a chance to pet a bunny.

The Zippo brand is familiar to anyone who has ever smoked and apparently there is enough equity in the name to support two stores inside Las Vegas casinos.
 
The zippo brand is synonymous with those old fashioned lighters that required users to refill with liquid fuel and occasionally replace the flint.  Not anymore, at least according to Zippo executives, who contend Zippo has made the transition to that of a lifestyle brand while its traditional lighters enjoy enduring popularity.
 

To help customers save water and grow its sales in the process Home Depot will execute a massive customer education initiative later this month.

Home Depot regularly holds in store clinics to arm customers with knowledge to tackle home improvement project and its newest initiative applies that thought process to a less familiar merchandise classification. On Saturday, April 26, every one of Home Depot’s 1,977 U.S. stores will host an hour and a half long “Water Conservation Workshop,” in which 10 home improvement projects will be covered.

Banana Republic has teamed up with designer Roland Mouret to launch the Roland Mouret for Banana Republic Collection — a limited-edition collection that uses Banana Republic's signature Sloan contour stretch fabric.

Mouret is best known for his feminine, hourglass fitted dresses.

HSN recognized the ExactTarget Marketing Cloud from salesforce.com (CRM) as its “Strategic Digital Alliance” partner for the year for transforming the company’s digital marketing program. The company was honored at HSN’s 4th annual awards gala in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Tokyo – Uniqlo opens new stores in Berlin, and in three U.S. locations on Friday, April 11. The 2,700-sq.-ft., three-story Berlin store is located on the Tauentzienstrasse shopping boulevard and is Uniqlo’s first German store.

The Berlin store is also the largest Uniqlo store in Europe and features revolving mannequins wearing origami headdresses and LED ticker-tapes listing all the cities where Uniqlo has stores around the world.