Marketing Tactics

Sam’s Club has strengthened the value proposition of its membership offering with a new range of high value services designed to differentiate it from Costco while fending off competition from well-capitalized online startup Jet.com.

Jacksonville, Fla. – A majority of consumers are spending savings from lower fuel prices to buy groceries. According to the new “Why? Behind the Buy” report from Acosta Sales & Marketing, 72% of shoppers age 18-34 will spend fuel savings on groceries.

Almost all (95%) U.S. shoppers report buying household groceries at regular supermarkets in the past six months; followed by shopping at mass merchants (79%); warehouse/club stores (42%); dollar and drug stores (39%); convenience stores (25%); natural/organic grocers (21%).

Salt Lake City – Break out the hairspray and acid-washed jeans, Overstock.com is launching a new omnichannel promotion with none other than Bret Michaels, frontman of legendary hair-metal headbangers Poison. The Overstock.com Mother's Day Spa Getaway with Bret Michaels sweepstakes provides an all-expenses-paid hotel and spa trip to Phoenix, where the winner and a guest will have dinner with Michaels.

Minneapolis - Caribou Coffee is making the leap to mobile payment with its first mobile app. Caribou's custom app provides customers with mobile payment and access to the Caribou Perks loyalty program.

The mobile pay feature allows Caribou Perks members to add funds and manage their account. Caribou Coffee partnered with brand and technology company Modern Climate to create a custom mobile app that delivers a personalized experience. The retailer plans to release updates to the app later in the year.

Louisville, Ky. – Papa John’s wants to be sure customers know exactly what ingredients go into its pizzas. The quick-service chain is enhancing its social content with a series of Instagram and Vine videos about the ingredients it uses, accompanied by Twitter and Facebook content focusing on each ingredient category.

Distributed across Papa John’s social channels during the next seven weeks, the new content will highlight its core ingredients one-by-one — beginning with dough and ending with cheese.
 

New York -- The launch of Target Corp.'s hotly awaited Lily Pulitzer collection on Sunday caused a shopping frenzy, both in stores and online. It also provoked a firestorm of criticism on social media from shoppers and Lily fans, who found themselves shut out of being able to buy product, in some cases, minutes after the line became available.

Sports retailer Adidas is trying to strengthen its “green” credentials with a promise to use plastic waste from the oceans in some of its products.

The company said it is partnering Parley for the Oceans to develop fabric made from recycled ocean waste for use in its clothing, and potentially shoe uppers, from next year.

Overwhelming demand for Target's Lily Pulitzer collection caused a shopping frenzy over the weekend both in stores and online. 

Ikea is taking its multi-year partnership with American Forests to a whole new level with the introduction of an educational video for children.

The Swedish retailer and the forestry group have teamed up to produce a video to be shown in designated kids’ areas at Ikea stores. The video will explain how forests and trees benefit all life on the planet, including wildlife, and how trees help to slow or mediate climate change.

Another high-end designer is making a limited edition pit stop at a mass market retailer. This time it's Kohl's, which plans to offer a line from Thakoon Panichgul this fall.

The designer will work on the seventh installment of the retailer’s DesigNation limited-edition collection. Thakoon is a fashion industry favorite and he visited London to inspire the capsule of misses apparel that will be available exclusively at Kohl’s and Kohls.com beginning fall 2015.