Marketing Tactics

The future of multichannel commerce at Walmart will be detailed next week in the mountains of Colorado where the retailer’s two top digital executives are scheduled to participate in a conference hosted by Fortune.

The exclusive — and sold out — three day event held at the Aspen Institute and will feature Neil Ashe, president and CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce and Karenann Terrell, EVP and chief information officer, discussing the topic of, “How does technology fuel the success of both on-and offline at the world’s largest retailer.”

HUDSON, Ohio — Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores is turning 70, and to mark the special anniversary the specialty fabric and craft retailer is launching a “Share Your Story” sweepstakes on its Facebook page. 

Customers share their favorite Jo-Ann memories and each week, from July 28 through August 19, two random entrants will be chosen to win $100 Jo-Ann gift cards for a total of six winners. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

New York -- The average household expenditure on all types of back-to-school items is expected to be about $285 this year, with 39% of consumers planning to spend more than last year and 45% planning to spend about the same. According to a new study from the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman-Sachs, 29% of households surveyed have started to shop for back-to-school items, which is lower than the 33% that had started at this time last year but more than in any other year since 2004.

The Global Market Development Center has appointed Jason Weber as its new member services manager and Joshua Manweiler as its new communications specialist as part of its strategy to enhance membership services. 

SAN DIEGO — Petco is showing customers that it takes the “Happier People” part of its motto seriously with its latest exclusive product offering from Kusin & Kusin Ltd.: Reviver Pets Freshening Swipes, the first-ever reusable, dry-application freshening swipe for use on pets and their humans.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart is kicking it old school this back-to-school season with its latest viral ad campaign, which features “yo momma” jokes. The campaign follows closely on the heels of the retailer’s similarly irreverent "Ship My Pants" and "Big Gas Savings" campaigns.

New York -- Forbes reported that CVS has opted not to sell the latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine, which features a photo of “Boston Bomber” Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its cover.

Minneapolis -- Retailer promotion activity continued to grow with a 21.6% increase to more than 11.3 billion pages in the first half of 2013, with Walmart leading in retailer activity, according to Kantar Media’s Marx report. Following on Walmart’s heels were Walgreens, Target and Family Dollar.