Marketing Tactics

Move over Cyber Monday, Cyber Week is the new buzz term.    Cyber Week, comprised of Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 23 through Cyber Monday, Nov. 28, is attracting more shoppers as they “grow more and more comfortable shopping on their phones and tablets, opening up the timetable for brands to reach them during the holiday shopping season," said Tony Zito, CEO, Rakuten Marketing.  

If you’re concerned about employee engagement and reducing your staff turn-over numbers, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there’s a startup offering solutions to meet your workers engagement goals and encourage your associates to stay onboard and thrive with your team. Other companies in the spotlight this month are innovating around point-of-purchase mobile marketing, using in-store scents to stand out, real-time store promotional display monitoring and creating meaningful and memorable customer experiences.  

Ikea is hoping to build its fifth store in the state of Texas.   The retailer is submitting plans to the City of Live Oak, Texas, for a San Antonio-area store. Pending approvals, construction could begin in spring 2018, with an opening in summer 2019.     Located approximately 15 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio, the 289,000-sq.-ft. proposed Ikea would be built on 31 acres.  

In a new post on Target's A Bullseye View blog, Target CIO Mike McNamara explains the reasoning behind the retailer's decision to offer an extensive Cyber Monday promotion: 15% off site-wide and store-wide from Nov. 27 to Nov. 28.   McNamara says the retailer's move to combine stores and online for a more seamless holiday shopping experience marks a new chapter in Cyber Monday history.  

  The Fung Global Retail & Technology team visited 35 stores throughout the Greater New York City area and Las Vegas on Black Friday for a first-hand view on traffic and sales.  Here are their top five takeaways from their store visits:  Cyber Monday Starts Early for Walmart:  Walmart kicked off its Cyber Monday deals at 12:01am EST on Friday for the first time ever, as it aims to grab customers ahead of its competitors. Last year, the company posted its Cyber Monday deals on the Sunday evening following Thanksgiving.

The power of digital Black Friday shoppers is officially a force to be reckoned with.   Of the 135.9 million U.S.-based consumers that shopped or plan to shop over the entire 2016 Black Friday Week, 57% shopped online. Almost four out of every 10 digital shoppers (37%) used a mobile device (such as a smart phone or tablet). Besides being an increase of seven percentage points, this customer segment is quickly approaching the number of desktop and laptop shoppers.  

Average spending per person over Thanksgiving weekend totaled $289.19, down from $299.60 last year, according to a survey conducted by National Retail Federation.  

It still comes down to price.    Despite more modern approaches, 89% of consumers said that deep discounts (including coupons) are the key determinant of what stores they will visit for holiday shopping this year, according to a survey of millennial and Generation Z consumers conducted by HRC Retail Advisory.    In addition to finding that sales and coupons are more influential than any other tactic in motivating consumers to enter stores this holiday season, the survey also revealed: