Marketing Tactics

Research Triangle, N.C. -- Christmas keeps getting earlier with each passing year, but the main challenge for online merchants stays the same.

Nearly 60% of online retailers plan to start their holiday promotions in September or sooner, and 34% of the retailers said fulfilling orders on time is their biggest challenge during the holidays, followed by adjusting to competitor activity (27%) and converting mobile traffic (19%).

New York – What’s in a name? When that name is Tiffany, as Costco discovered, potentially some hefty financial penalties.

Federal judge Laura Taylor Swain has ruled in favor of Tiffany & Co. in a suit the luxury retailer initially brought against Costco Wholesale Corp. in February 2013. The civil suit sought damages for what Tiffany said were fake “Tiffany” engagement rings Costco sold at one of its stores in Huntington Beach, California.

A limited assortment of consumer electronics products will be offered in Best Buy branded departments inside 10 Macy’s stores this holiday season.

Philadelphia – Five Below is opening its largest location to date, in its home city of Philadelphia.
 
The extreme-value retailer, which targets tweens and teens with goods priced at $5 or less, will open a two-story, 13,000-sq.-ft. store next to its headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Starbucks Coffee Company's first store in Panama is located in Panama City, in the Street Mall shopping center. With a 28-ft. high ceiling, the focal point of the 3,304-sq.-ft. store is a one-of-a-kind custom made hanging mobile, designed to represent the Geisha coffee plant, which signifies the birth of the coffee industry in Panama.

On the heels of the most successful Jurassic Park movie ever, Gymboree is looking to leverage the popularity of dinosaurs with a new collection inspired by a new dinosaur-themed series on Netflix.

It’s a commonly held belief among retailers that their most valuable customer is the one that is a brand advocate, has the loyalty card, and makes purchases on a regular basis. But there is a problem with that assumption.

While the patterns of behavior from your most loyal customer can show you what is working, they can’t tell you anything about what isn’t working -- or how to fix it. In truth, a retailer’s most valuable customer is the one that comes into your store, browses, but then leaves before buying.

Kohl’s is looking to get a leg up on the competition this holiday season with an early lineup of the hottest toys this December.

The retailer’s top toys for the holiday season include an exclusive assortment from Star Wars and trusted national brands, including Barbie, Fisher-Price and Melissa & Doug.