Marketing Tactics

A discount giant is using its newest acquisitions to connect with its millennial shoppers.   During an earnings call, Walmart revealed that it’s trendy, upscale Bonobos or ModCloth brands will soon be sold via jet.com. This move highlights how Walmart plans to leverage its Jet division to target the millennial shopper, according to Business Insider.  

Howard Schultz, the politically progressive — and famously outspoken — founder of Starbucks Coffee Corp., weighed in on the rally and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and its aftermath in an emotional speech to company employees.    Speaking at a standing-room only employee forum, Schultz did not specifically blame or criticize the President, saying he would let his (the President’s) actions speak for themselves. But the legendary retailer left little doubt of how he felt.  

Gap Inc. beat the Street in its second quarter with both bottom and top line gains, boosted by its Old Navy division and fewer discounts.    The apparel retailer earned $271 million net income, or 68 cents per share, in the quarter that ended July 29. That's up from $125 million, or 31 cents per share, a year ago.   

Shoppers just can't stay away from off-price stores.   Ross Stores' earned $317 million, or 82 cents a share, in the quarter ended July 29, up 15% from $282 million, or 71 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Analysts had expected earnings of $0.76 per share.   Sales rose 8% to $3.43 billion. Same-store sales increased 4%.  

The second quarter numbers show that Walmart remains firmly on the front foot and is more than holding its own in a challenging and competitive retail market. It is particularly pleasing to see sales growth accelerate since Q1 -- a clear sign that the various initiatives and investments are paying dividends.  

Target Corp. is giving shoppers an early look at three new private brands that will debut in its stores starting in late August.    The retailer has posted details about the brands, along with photos from their look books, on its website. The three new collections are part of 12 private-label brands Target plans to launch during the next 18 months.    Here is a look at the three brands:

A New Day

The third annual Amazon Prime Day attracted more shoppers than ever, with many attracted by personalized marketing efforts.    Thirty-six percent of respondents confirmed they made a purchase on Amazon Prime Day in a survey from Periscope by McKinsey, which conducted online research with U.S. shoppers to explore their attitudes and actions regarding the online giant's mega-sale. This was a substantial increase on the 22% who said they had actively shopped for Prime Day deals in 2016.   

Given the difficult business conditions so many brick-and-mortar retailers are facing, it’s baffling that conversion rate optimization (CRO) hasn’t become more of a focus if not an obsession.   In the online world, CRO has become an industry onto itself, spawning a global community of consultants and service providers, formal methodologies and over a hundred books dedicated to the topic on Amazon alone. There is only one book on brick-and-mortar conversion listed on Amazon.