Marketing Tactics

Walgreens on Tuesday enticed its shoppers with a new loyalty program tied to its beauty department with the launch of Beauty Enthusiast, a beauty club within its Balance Rewards loyalty program. Cardholders who register for Beauty Enthusiast gain additional rewards on beauty and personal care items, as well as other benefits.  

SPECS, the “Retail Event for Store Innovation,” has officially opened registration for its 53rd annual conference, to be held next March.   SPECS/2017, exclusively produced by Chain Store Age, is a diverse, dy-namic and engaging window into the world of retail, offering an annual opportunity for education and networking. A lineup of more than 30 workshops and sessions will cover topics and issues that impact store de-sign, construction and maintenance.   

One of Minnesota’s highest-volume malls is about to get a $76 million renovation that will give it new retail space and sight lines and – more rare these days – a new department store tenant.   Rosedale Center, a 1.14-million-sq.-ft. property situated between the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, will soon break ground for a two-level Von Maur store and parking deck with 1,100 spaces, according to owner JLL. Macy’s and J.C. Penney already do business there.  

Bonobos opened its fifth Manhattan store this week on Madison Avenue, surrounded by neighbors that include Porsche Design, Tourneau, Dino Baldini, and Lladro.   Called the Bonobos Guideshop NYC, the store inhabits a 1,725-sq.-ft. ground floor space with all-glass frontage on the southwest corner of 52nd Street in the shadow of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The deal was brokered by RKF.   

Creating an innovative customer experience is top of mind for Target. Now it needs the right solutions.   As a result, Target launched a new website that invites start-up companies to pitch ideas for new technology platforms that will help the big-box retailer enhance the customer experience in its stores and through its digital channels, according to an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The signs of fall are definitely upon us. The weather is finally dropping into the 70s on the east coast. Summer’s green leaves are slowly transitioning to rich autumn hues. You can’t escape “Pumpkin Spice.” And of course, the biggest sign of fall: Halloween pop-up stores.  

There is a new identity option for retailers eager to stand out in a competitive digital landscape.   The introduction of the 'dot-shopping' (.shopping) domain provides retailers with another way to brand themselves online. Launched by domain name provider Donuts Inc., the new digital names, also called "not-com" domains, can be used as a brand’s main e-commerce name. It can also point shoppers to a company’s existing online shopping web site, or a marketing or promotional site.