Marketing Tactics

Kmart campaign makes a difference for kids
Shoppers at Kmart who are looking for that must-have toy this holiday season will be also able to help raise money to end childhood cancer and other diseases.

Kmart has announced that beginning this Sunday through Dec. 13, the retailer will donate $1 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for every purchase from its annual Fab 15 toy list, up to a maximum donation of $25,000.
TJX offers limited gift-giving advice
Just like many of the products sold in its stores, TJX Companies is offering a limited duration holiday helpline staffed by folks who presume to know the perfect gift for anonymous recipients.

T.J. Maxx and Marshalls this week said they are bringing back their “Holiday Gift Hotline” to combat the issue they identified in a survey of people buying uninventive gifts. The hotline is a free service only available for limited hours Dec. 4-7 and is designed to provide shoppers with a variety of gift ideas to help them give gifts people really want to receive.

IBM: Cyber Monday online sales up 8.7% at mid-day; mobile accounts for 21.3% of all sales

Cyber Monday online sales were up 8.7% as of 3 p.m. EST over the same period on Cyber Monday 2013, according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, with mobile traffic accounting for 38.6% of all online traffic, up 28.8% over last year. Mobile sales accounted for 21.3% of all online sales on Cyber Monday, an increase of 29.3% year over year. Here are the key drivers behind the Cyber Monday trends, according to IBM:
Small Business Saturday shopping up 15%

New York - Across the country, there was strong support for local businesses on Small Business Saturday, with shopping up 14.9% from last year, according to the results from the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released today by American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
Wal-Mart feels good about Black Friday weekend sales

New York - Count Walmart as not falling victim to the Black Friday weekend blues. The discounter is reporting a strong holiday weekend -- including record online sales.
Commentary: From Singles Day to Cyber Monday - Branded Retail Events in a New Era of Consumerism

By Kosha Gada
Hunter’s new global flagship will serve as model for future stores

London - Hunter, the British footwear and outdoor brand, opened its first global flagship, on London’s high-profile Regent Street. The 5,300-sq.-ft. store presents the retailer’s full collection, from its signature Wellington boots to outwear and accessories.
Insights: Cyber "Five" Data Thus Far Indicates Strong Start for Holiday

By Scot Wingo, CEO, ChannelAdvisor Happy Cyber Monday! Each year we at ChannelAdvisor track the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday and call that the “Cyber Five.” This year, our Cyber Five Same Store Sales (SSS) data to date shows that Holiday ’14 is off to a very strong start.
Retailers launch campaign to eliminate Alibaba ‘threat’

Washington, D.C. - The Alliance for Main Street Fairness (AMSF) launched a television advertising campaign to educate lawmakers on what is says is the imminent threat posed by China's online mega-retailer Alibaba as it enters the U.S. retail market. Retailers are asking the U.S. House of Representatives to join the U.S. Senate by passing e-fairness legislation that closes the online sales tax loophole this year.
Restoration Hardware opens Atlanta gallery

Corte Madera, Calif. – Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. has opened RH, The Gallery at the Estate in Buckhead, Georgia. Featuring six floors and nearly 70,000 total interior and exterior square feet, the new retail concept features dramatic interior and exterior installations of home furnishings in a gallery setting.
Macy’s Herald Square holiday windows take customers on a star-crossed journey

New York - Macy's Herald Square has unveiled its 2014 Christmas windows. Titled "Santa's Journey to the Stars," this year's display follows the adventures of Alex, a young boy who receives a magical and mystical telescope that enables him to experience the wonder of Christmas on other planets before landing back on Earth at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Men’s Wearhouse to open first-ever Joseph Abboud freestanding store

Fremont, Calif. - Men's Wearhouse will open the first-ever Joseph Abboud retail store in midtown Manhattan in spring 2015. The store follows the launch of JosephAbboud.com in early November.