Marketing Tactics

Dodgeville, Wis. -- Lands' End has launched a new microsite on its website that will allow customers to shop stylized product from key assortments of men, women, and kids. Zanna Roberts Rassi, senior fashion editor for Marie Claire and longtime fashion stylist, has been named as the first guest editor to curate five summer collections of her Lands' End favorites.

Hingham, Mass. -- WS Development and Derby Street Shoppes continue to add new and exciting retailers to the vibrant mix of existing shops, boutiques and restaurants by announcing the opening of DavidsTea and Sephora. DavidsTea, expects to open its only location on the South Shore in mid-summer, while perfume and cosmetics retailer, Sephora, hopes to open later this year.

Columbus, Ohio – Big Lots Inc. beat Wall Street predictions for profit and revenue with a solid performance in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Improved gross margin helped Big Lots increase net income by a factor of roughly 10, to $32.21 million from $3.35 million the same period a year earlier.

Net sales slipped 0.1%, staying at roughly $1.28 billion. A reduction in stores offset same-store sales growth of 1.6%.

Kohl’s is backing up its commitment to families by sponsoring a museum promotion called Thank You Thursday in Milwaukee.

The retailer will be offering free general admission to the Museum Public Museum on the first Thursday of every month. Kohl’s Thank You Thursday marks the first time ever free general admission has been regularly provided to the public and will kick off on June 4.

New York -- Brand agency CBX has hired Andy Austin, who oversaw tech rollouts at 2,200 AT&T stores nationwide, as its new group director of experience technology.

As Texas deals with the aftermath of tragic flooding, Walmart is trying to make a difference in the state where it has its largest presence.

The Walmart Foundation has announced donations totaling $500,000 to organizations helping with relief efforts for those affected by the floods in Texas and Oklahoma.

Outdoor specialty retailer Gander Mountain remains on a path for national expansion with its recently opened store in El Paso giving the operator of 160 units its westernmost presence.

Most of St. Paul, Minn.-based Gander Mountain’s stores are concentrated in the upper Midwest and Mid-Atlantic state, but recent years have seen a steady incursion into new markets in the south and West. Prior to the opening of the 61,000-sq.-ft. El Paso location on May 26, Gander Mountain’s westernmost market was Denver where it operates two stores.

By Jeff Trachsel

Showrooming has plagued brick-and-mortar retailers for years, with e-commerce quickly chipping away at in-store sales. Recently however, experts report the rising trend is actually the reverse - shoppers are now exploring options online before buying in-store. According to a 2014 report from BI Intelligence, reverse showrooming, or webrooming, is actually more common among U.S. consumers, with 69% of consumers researching online before transacting in-store.