Marketing Tactics

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. is introducing “Made to Matter – Handpicked by Target.” The collection brings together 17 natural, organic and sustainable brands to introduce new products.

Average spending per person is forecast to decline this Easter despite pent up demand from a long cold winter, according to new consumer research from the National Retail Federation.

Sports Authority opened two locations in Puerto Rico — on in San Juan and the other in Carolina — early this week, bringing the total number of stores on the island to three. The stores are located in the Plaza Las Américas and Plaza Carolina shopping centers, respectively.

According to the company, both locations are equipped with improved store designs for effortless navigation and offer extensive product selections. The stores will feature specialty sport shops with products from brands including Nike, Under Armour, Puma, Adidas and Columbia.

Foster City, Calif. - American households with teens are reining in prom spending in 2014. According to a new survey of 4,000 consumers by Visa, the American average household will spend $978 in 2014 on the prom.

That's down more than 14% from the average $1,139 families spent on items including attire, limousine rental, tickets, and dinner in 2013. The sharp decrease follows three years of steady increases. By way of comparison, Canadian households will spend about 25% less than American households, at $723.

New York -- Japanese online giant Rakuten has teamed up with First Bankcard to launch the Rakuten Rewards MasterCard Program, which provides cardholders with reward points for using their credit card to shop on Rakuten.com and elsewhere.

Rakuten.com, formerly Buy.com, is Rakuten's U.S. marketplace, offering consumers more than 17 million products at everyday low prices from a network of small and large business shop owners.

Hong Kong -- Coach announced that it has retained Studio Sofield, led by designer and president William Sofield, as creative advisor in the development of the company's next generation retail concept.

The new concept will be unveiled in fall 2014, with the company's 4,000-sq.-ft. flagship in Beverly Hills, Calif., followed by the Coach store at the Time Warner Center in New York City (5,335 sq. ft.).

Bumble Bee Foods has selected celebrity chef Doreen Colondres as the brand’s exclusive chef partner and brand ambassador. Colondres is a leading figure in today’s “Latin kitchen” movement and creator of the brand and website the Kitchen Doesn’t Bite.