Marketing Tactics

Parents making back-to-school purchases are willing to open their wallets, if the price is right.   That’s according to a new study from digital savings platform RetailMeNot Inc., "Back-to-School Cheat Sheet: Consumer Trends and Insights for Retailers," back-to-school shoppers plan to spend an average of $273 per child, up from their anticipated spending of $246 in 2015.  

The Hershey Company is moving its popular store in Manhattan’s Times Square to a much larger location.   The company will unveil a new Hershey’s Chocolate World flagship at 20 Times Square in late 2017. The new store will be three times larger than the existing Hershey’s store, which has been a major tourist attraction since it opened in 2002. It will also feature even more bells and whistles, including a state-of-the-art digital billboard.  

J.C. Penney and Sears are turning up the heat on one another in the appliance category — and that translates into good news for consumers.     Penney began rolling out expanded appliance departments to stores nationwide this past weekend, offering aggressive price cuts and other special deals, Fortune reported.   

Hello Kitty Cafe is pretty darn cute — and popular.    Located at the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, California, the pop-up café opened on July 15, and draw such crowds that it had to temporarily close for a few hours. It’s housed within a pink shipping container that has been refurbished to feature a counter and dining patio area, complete with bistro tables and pink-and-white striped awnings. Bold character graphics adorn the exterior and interior container panels.  

Urban Outfitters, which has a history of selling products that can sometimes cause offense (at least to some consumers),  has entered the presidential debate.   The chain is offering a range of merchandise criticizing Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported, including  a book of Trump quotations styled to look like Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book.   

By Dan Berthiaume Walmart Canada has begun following through with a June announcement it would gradually stop accepting Visa payments. On June 11, the retailer issued a release stating it would stop accepting Visa payments across Canada, starting July 18 at stores in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Multiple media reports indicate that as of July 18, Walmart Canada is no longer taking payments via Visa-branded cards at three stores in Thunder Bay.

Urban Outfitters, which has a history of selling products that can sometimes cause offense (at least to some consumers), has entered the presidential debate.   The chain is offering a range of merchandise criticizing Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported, including  a book of Trump quotations styled to look like Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book.   

Walmart Canada has begun following through with a June announcement it would gradually stop accepting Visa payments.   On June 11, the retailer issued a release stating it would stop accepting Visa payments across Canada, starting July 18 at stores in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Multiple media reports indicate that as of July 18, Walmart Canada is no longer taking payments via Visa-branded cards at three stores in Thunder Bay.  

Quick-service restaurant chain Quiznos has promoted global chief marketing officer Susan Lintonsmith as its new CEO.   Joining Quiznos as chief marketing officer in 2012, Lintonsmith was instrumental in opening the China market and leading the opening of the Quiznos Grill premium sandwich concept. Previous roles in her more than 25-year career include serving as a consultant to Einstein Noah Restaurant Group and as chief marketing officer of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.  

The NFL Experience has become well known as a primary attraction of Super Bowl week in the big game’s host city. Now the attraction will go permanent in a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil at 20 Times Square, a mixed-use Witkoff development that will house the 39-story Edition Hotel.