Marketing Tactics

NRF: Swipe fees protect consumers
Retail group argues for debit card swipe fee regulations. The National Retail Federation said Congress should reject a proposal from the head of the House Financial Services Committee to repeal a cap on debit card swipe fees. According to the NRF, the fees have saved consumers billions of dollars over the past five years.
Analysis: Is Ralph Lauren Corp. moving away from luxury?
Ralph Lauren Corp. made headlines with its June 7th announcement that it planned to close 50 stores and lay off 1,000 employees as part of a restructuring in response to lower sales. The announcement didn't go into specifics about the luxury brand’s plans to correct its course. But some industry insiders speculate that the background of Ralph Lauren CEO Stefan Larsson, who took the reins of the company in September, holds the key.

Survey: So far, so good for 2016

Retail tenants are not only reporting a strong performance for the year so far, but are also optimistic about the next six months.
Whole Foods gets intellectual in Chicago

Whole Foods Market continues its expansion in the Chicago market, opening a store in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood. It’s the grocer’s 26th Chicagoland location.
Apple stores add cool new summer class for kids

Apple is training the next generation of coders — in its stores. The company is expanding its Apple Camp workshops to include a course designed to teach children the basics of coding, Techcrunch reported. The “Coding Games and Programming Robots” course, open to children ages 8 to 12, will also allow kids to program Sphero robots.
Outdoor lifestyle brand matching store space to green space

Timberland announced a goal to double its footprint in five U.S. cities by 2020 -- but not in the conventional year. Each year for the next five years, the brand will choose a different city with a Timberland store, and match its retail floor space with the creation or restoration of an equivalent amount of green space in that city.
Starbucks, Shanghai

The design of Starbucks’ flagship in the new Disneytown at Shanghai Disney Resort was inspired by the craft of coffee and the magic of Disney — and the latest in ordering technology. Located in the entertainment district just outside the main entrance to the theme park, the store is topped with a specially crafted wind vane that evokes the playfulness of Disney with the iconic Starbucks siren.
Israeli start-up targets Amazon Dash

The IoT-based home shopping landscape is getting a little more crowded.
Walmart shows shoppers a good time

Long dependent on low prices to draw customers to stores, Walmart is trying a new traffic-boosting tactic: fun.
Drug Store News, Mack Elevation co-host new 10x Thought Leadership Forum

The roster of speakers for the Aug.
Study points up importance of the human touch in shopping journey

A traditional, low-tech customer service feature can help prompt shoppers to follow the path to purchase. According to a new study from technology services company Mindtree, “Mindtree Shopper Survey 2016,” good old-fashioned human sales associates have a big impact on consumers moving from thinking about a purchase to actually making one.
Study: Millennial shoppers can be selfish, too

Despite their reputation as a generation dedicated to the greater good, millennial consumers are in some ways more narrowly focused than their Gen X elders. According to a new study of more than 7,000 global consumers conducted online in April age 18-55 conducted by sales and marketing firm Daymon Worldwide, 35% of both millennial and Gen X consumers prefer buying sustainable products.