Marketing Tactics

Starbucks Corp. is extending its payment platform to extend its reward program beyond its own stores.

The coffee giant announced at its annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday that it will launch the Starbucks Rewards Prepaid Card from Chase by the end of this year.

Home furnishings retailer RH is rolling out a new membership program that aims to reimagine the luxury shopping experience by adding an element of exclusivity.

The company has announced the launch of the RH Grey Card. For a $100 annual fee, the RH Grey Card provides 25% savings on everything RH, every day, across all of its brands – RH, RH Modern, RH Baby & Child, RH TEEN and RH Contemporary Art.

Democracy Works, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, said on Wednesday it is teaming up with an array of companies, including Starbucks, Target and Westfield Corp., in an effort to boost U.S. voter turnout to 80% by 2020.

The project, called the TurboVote Challenge, is ambitious. The last time the U.S. achieved a voter turnout rate over 80% was in 1888. An estimated 57.5% of eligible citizens voted in the 2012 presidential election.

Market expansion into the Minneapolis market may be the next step for Meijer, The Grand Rapids Press reported last week, confirming that the grocer acquired 30 acres of land in a Twin City suburb. "I can confirm Meijer has purchased property in Brooklyn Park, Minn.," Frank Guglielmi, Meijer senior director communications, told The Grand Rapids Press.

Three Schnucks St. Charles County stores will unveil freshly remodeled interiors prior to the Easter holiday this weekend, the company announced Tuesday. Upon entering, customers will notice improved lighting, clean lines and new décor.

Nike’s newest factory store, in Lubbock, Texas, draws inspiration from the area’s local sport culture, with special emphasis on its deep roots in football.

The local imagery in the store includes a declaration to be “Texas Tested,” which responds to the famous suggestion that if you can pass the Texas test, you can pass any test.

Ethnic grocery chain H Mart is expanding its partnership with Instacart nationally.

Lyndhurst, New Jersey-based H Mart, which operates more than 45 U.S. and Canadian stores, specializes in Asian grocery products. H Mart is now offering Instacart deliveries in as little as one hour to consumers in Philadelphia. Coming soon, the retailer will also offer Instacart services in markets including Orange County, Washington, D.C., suburbs, Atlanta, Chicago suburbs, Los Angeles, and Houston. Instacart prices will match H Mart in-store prices.

Brick-and-mortar retailers are on notice – shifting customer demographics will require far-reaching redesign of the physical store by 2025.

According to a new study from technology market intelligence firm ABI Research, millennials are driving a revolution in how stores use technology to provide a shopping experience.

While the annual South By Southwest festival was underway in Austin, regional department store operator Belk was connecting with its core customers in the southeast by hosting a festival of its own.