Marketing Tactics

Cloud-based commerce platform Shopify is recognizing six new startups with awards.

This year’s winners of the Shopify Build a Better Business contest ranged from a GPS-enabled suitcase, to a wearable that zaps users to reduce bad habits, to an innovative mattress.

The latest back-to-school promotion from Staples includes deeper discounts, a free trip to California for 50 students, and a new TV advertising campaign.

“This is our 29th back-to-school season at Staples. We’re using or knowledge and expertise to help parents, students and teachers get 110% ready for school with our lowest price guarantee,” Parneros said. “Whether shopping on Staples.com or in our stores with our amazing associates, Staples makes it easy to shop for students in elementary school through college.”

A unique sponsorship and promotional effort that only a retailer based in Southern California would think of is set to begin August 1.

Petco is the title sponsor of the Unleashed by Petco SurfDog Competition to be held in Imperial Beach just south of San Diego on August 1. It is the 10th time the event has been held and the second year San Diego-based Petco has served as lead sponsor to promote its relatively new 100 store Unleashed by Petco concept which focuses on natural and organic products.

Boston – Rue La La is adding some celebrity appeal to its omnichannel partnership promoting cotton. Actress, model and author Molly Sims is the new face of its "Cotton. It's Your Favorite for a Reason" campaign with promotional group Cotton Inc.  

Salisbury, N.C. – How low can Food Lion go? When it comes to prices, very low indeed.

Food Lion has lowered prices on thousands of items it has identified as being most important to customers. The price reductions also include new signage throughout the store designed to make finding sale items easier.

Batavia, Ill. -- Comedian Ben Bailey is doing his thing in an Aldi supermarket as opposed to his usual taxi cab.

Aldi, the fast-growing deep-discount supermarket chain, has teamed up with Ben Bailey, best known as host of the former TV series "Cash Cab,” in an online video series. Described as equal parts education and entertainment, the series is designed to help introduce Aldi to new customers across the United States and in Southern California specifically, where it is planning to open approximately 45 new stores in 2016.

Dallas – The Elephant Bar casual dining chain is herding loyalty members as they approach local stores.

The 29-unit retailer has deployed the Paytronix Geofencing solution to send messages designed to compel visits from members of its rewards program when they are within a set proximity to a restaurant.
In a review of three recent campaigns, Elephant Bar determined that approximately 30% of members visited a restaurant on the day that they received a geofencing message.

Chicago -- Starbucks Corp. is ratcheting up its already significant commitment to job creation.

The coffee giant is teaming up with such other retail powerhouses as Walmart, CVS Health, Walgreens, Macy’s, Target and J.C. Penney in an ambitious jobs program to hire 100,000 16- to 24-year-olds "who face systemic barriers to jobs and education" by 2018 through apprenticeships, internships, training programs, and both part-time and full-time jobs.

Bentonville, Ark. – It’s no secret that a big part of Wal-Mart’s strategy is to maintain its market share in the face of competition from Amazon.com, and maybe even steal some away.

But Wal-Mart is now taking the fight for customers directly to Amazon in a big way with a new pricing and shipping promotion that directly challenges the upcoming July 15 Amazon “Prime Day” event.

New York -- Chain Store Age magazine is accepting nominations for its 11th annual “Top Redevelopers” listing, which recognizes shopping center owners and developers’ retail redevelopment efforts over the last 12 months. Selections will be based on square footage redeveloped between June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2015, financial investment, and project significance.