Marketing Tactics

Bentonville, Ark. –- Sam’s Club will launch its Black Friday sale online on Thursday, Nov. 27 just after midnight EST with free standard shipping on Black Friday items. Members can continue shopping in clubs starting at 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28.   

Indianapolis -- Nearly four-fifths of holiday shoppers (79%) begin their holiday shopping prior to Thanksgiving weekend. According to new data from Simon, Millennials are significantly more likely than all other generations to plan to shop on Black Friday (67%) and Christmas Eve (20%) this holiday season.   Other notable findings include:  

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. is offering an exclusive holiday app, “Santa's Merry Mission.” On the Team Santa site, children can take a personality quiz to determine which of the eight reindeer is their favorite, and then follow the steps to create their own plush toy.   

Newport Beach, Calif. –- Formerly pure-play online specialty cosmetics retailer Urban Decay has reportedly entered the brick-and-mortar arena. According to the Los Angeles Times, Urban Decay opened its first physical store, at the Fashion Island mall in its headquarters town of Newport Beach, Calif., on Monday, Nov. 17.  

Build-A-Bear Workshop has transformed its stores into Santa's Workshops to provide toys for all the children on the "nice list," with the help of Santa's reindeer team. The company said it is introducing eight lovable reindeer and extending play beyond plush with the launch of an exclusive holiday app: Santa's Merry Mission. Guests are encouraged to visit buildabear.com/teamsanta to download the app and learn about each of Santa's merry reindeer.

Shoes of Prey is partnering with Nordstrom to house their design-your-own-shoes studio concept in six major locations across the country. The first Shoes of Prey Design Studio at Nordstrom will open today in Bellevue, Wash. Other studios will open in 2015.

Bellevue, Wash. –- Two in three (66%) consumers purchasing holiday gifts exceeds their budget, typically by $116. According to a new survey of U.S. consumers from Coinstar, this figure rises to 78% of holiday shoppers with children.   Seventy-four percent of holiday shoppers will cut back on indulgences to help afford seasonal gifts. Popular areas to reduce spending among these shoppers include eating out (53%) and entertainment (52%).  

Bentonville, Ark. –- Sam’s Club will launch its Black Friday sale online on Thursday, Nov. 27 just after midnight EST with free standard shipping on Black Friday items. Members can continue shopping in clubs starting at 7 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28.