Marketing Tactics

Arts and crafts chain Hobby Lobby is embarking on a mission to give away millions of Christmas gifts to chidren in need this holiday season, a mission that will likely appeal to many consumers in its target market.

The retailer announced is partnering with the world's largest Christmas project of its kind, Operation Christmas Child, which is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham.

New York -- Dollar General is giving major financial support to a cause that may appeal to many value-oriented shoppers.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced that it has awarded over $4 million to approximately 870 schools, nonprofits and literacy organizations to enhance and support youth literacy and education across the 43 states Dollar General serves.

Nike has opened a soaring, one-of-kind flagship to spotlight some of its most innovative merchandise.

The three-level 31,000-sq.-ft. store, at The Grove in Los Angeles, is one of the largest in the company’s portfolio. It features a number of elements designed to celebrate the City of Angles and to serve athletes, starting with a huge “We are LA” mural that spans all three floors and is made up of thousands of icons reflecting Nike’s heritage, local sports teams and California-centric imagery.

The company, the PGA Tour’s exclusive off-course/off-airport retail partner, has built a business dedicated to providing golf enthusiasts of all levels access to the same technology and expertise that card-carrying Tour pros enjoy. Stores are staffed with teaching professionals and have multiple state-of-the-art swing simulators, practice hitting bays, and large putting greens. There is also an in-house club-making and repair facility.   

Chicago – More than half of retailers struggle to perform a crucial marketing task. According to a new study of nearly 200 retailers from Yes Lifecycle Marketing and Retail TouchPoints, 52% of retailers have difficulty identifying and engaging their best customers.

Armonk, N.Y. – Although email has reached the point it is often considered a “legacy” technology, email marketing efforts still provide substantial ROI.

New York – Front-running Republican presidential contender Donald Trump continued his war of words with Macy’s Inc. during a Sunday morning interview on the CBS program, "Face the Nation."

Trump singled out Macy’s as an example of companies where the CEO places their friends on the board and receives inappropriately high pay.

New York – Lane Bryant is promoting equality for women who wear larger sizes with a new omnichannel campaign.

The specialty fashion retailer’s #PlusIsEqual campaign is using channels including social, TV, print and video to urge better treatment of women sizes 14-24 in the media and by retailers.

This year’s annual fall Apple event did not offer retailers anything quite as dramatic as last year’s introduction of Apple Pay and Apple Watch. However, there were still a few announcements with potential impact on the omnichannel landscape.

TV, or Not TV

Kohl’s is bringing the fashions of London to its stores with its latest designer collaboration.

The retailer has teamed up with designer Thakoon on a fashion collection now available at Kohl’s stores nationwide and Kohls.com called Thakoon for DesigNation. The one-of-a-kind, limited-edition, limited-time collection features Thakoon Panichgul’s signature style inspired by one of his favorite cities, London.