Marketing Tactics

MINNEAPOLIS — July same-store sales at Target increased 3.1%, in line with the company’s guidance.

Target credited an increase in average transaction size as the primary driver of a 3.1% same-store sales increase during the July reporting period. An increase in the number of transactions also contributed to a 3.1% gain that was in-line with the company’s guidance for a low to mid single digit increase on top of a July 2011 increase of 4.1%.

Online shopper engagement firm Jingit named former Walmart head merchant John Fleming to their board of advisors this week and offered a view of his career and accomplishments at Walmart that isn’t likely to jive with the recollection of suppliers.

“John pioneered countless initiatives throughout his stellar career at Walmart that took that brand to new heights in the market,” Jingit co-founder Joe Rogness said of Fleming.

New York -- Many retailers reported better-than-expected results in July as warm weather and clearance sales drew shoppers into stores. Thomson Reuters reported that three-quarters of retailers reported results beat expectations. Costco Wholesale Corp., Target Corp., Limited Brands and Gap Inc. all reported gains above expectations.

NEW YORK — Avery Dennison's office and consumer products division and the UPS Store have signed on as the inaugural sponsors of  Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's"American Made," a multimedia celebration of American artists, artisans and entrepreneurs. The program will celebrate 10 rising stars from a range of lifestyle arenas in a special feature in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Bloomberg reports this week that Walmart is becoming more sophisticated in its dealings with the government, and the company is employing an interesting tactic to gain political insights.

Earlier this week, 10 Walmart moms from the Denver area were assembled for the company's latest focus group, according to the Bloomberg report, and they were asked about their top issues and impressions of presidential candidates.

RESTON, Va. — Beauty brand L'Oréal USA is leveraging Clarabridge, a provider of sentiment and text analytics for customer experience management, to monitor what is being said in real time about its 27 brands across social media outlets, including website reviews, product reviews, blogs, Twitter and Facebook.

The move will enable L'Oréal USA to automatically route consumer insight to the right people and more effectively engage with its consumers.

New York -- Helped by hot weather and clearance sales, many retailers reported solid results in July, a month that can be a tepid lead-up to the back-to-school shopping season.

Some of the strongest showings in the month were in the department store category, as those reporting all showed July gains.

Macy’s led the pack with a 4.1% same-store sales rise. Total sales increased 5.1% to $1.7 billion over the four-week period.

To understand what makes Target cool look no further than the Olympics.

Target doesn’t have any stores in London, the United Kingdom or Europe. Its first international stores won’t open until next year and those are located in Canada.