Marketing Tactics

Easter may be over but Nickelodeon and Nordstrom are hoping rabbit inspired merchandise continues to resonate with shoppers this spring.

Phoenix — Vestar has appointed Clint Marchuk VP of acquisitions. His responsibilities include identifying, evaluating and carrying out shopping center acquisitions in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.

New York -- Online streaming video service Hulu will display interactive ads from Pizza Hut that will allow viewers to place orders on their computers or other devices right in the middle of the commercial.

Consumers will be able to place an order for pickup or delivery during the commercial, and then resume watching wherever they left off, according to the Washington Post. The ads will be shown on all platforms: desktop, mobile and internet-connected TV.

The Pizza Hut ads will debut this summer.

Lenexa, Kan. – Four-in-10 (42%) college students around the country would "probably not" or "definitely not" make more mobile payments if they were widely available. A survey sponsored by Balance Innovations showed that another 42% reported they would use their mobile phone "somewhat more, depending on the retailer or purchase," and only 16% of those surveyed said they absolutely would use mobile payments "all the time."
 
Additional insights from the survey include:
 

Belk has entered into a multilayered partnership with the American Red Cross to aid those impacted by the recent storms that have swept through the southern United States.

As a part of the partnership, Belk will make a $100,000 contribution to help with immediate and long-term recovery efforts, and customers will have the opportunity to participate by donating to the fund on belk.com. In addition, Belk will work with the local American Red Cross chapters to provide store discounts to those affected by the storm.

Staples has unveiled a new plan called EasyTech Total Support, which provides consumers and small businesses with comprehensive technology services for both their new and old PCs, including upgrades, maintenance and installations.

The service builds on the company’s EasyTech program launched in 2007.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart is working with Autoinsurance.com to offer customers in Arkanas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas an auto insurance comparison service. AutoInsurance.com provides customers with multiple quotes from national insurance carriers including Progressive, Esurance, Safeco, The General and others within minutes.

Wal-Mart plans to offer the service nationwide in the coming months. The launch of this service stems from a successful pilot that took place in Pennsylvania during 2013.

Sport Chalet is turning 55 this year and to mark its anniversary, the retailer is taking a look at some of the biggest fitness trends and milestones from the past five decades, and forecasting trends consumers can expect in the decade to come.

In 1959, Norbert and Irene Olberz opened an intimate ski shop in La Canada Flintridge, Calif. Now there are 51 stores in four states, featuring the industry's top brands across a variety of sports and fitness activities.