Marketing Tactics

San Francisco - Shopper traffic declined 9% in June, compared to the same month the previous year, as vacations, holidays, and record-breaking World Cup viewership cannibalized time spent on shopping-related activities. According to data from in-store analytics provider Euclid, despite the reduced traffic, high levels of consumer confidence boosted shoppers’ spending habits with .2% growth year-over-year in general merchandise, apparel, furniture and other (GAFO) retail sales

Warby Parker, the hip online eyewear retailer, has opened its sixth retail location, a 1,050-sq.-ft. store in Dallas.  

Just a day after reporting first-quarter results, the Container Store has launched POP! — its customer engagement program of Perfectly Organized Perks — in its 66 existing stores and on its website.

Sears Holdings’ Shop Your Way membership program and social shopping community has expanded its rewards program with the addition of more than 50 brand-name partners, which means members will be able to earn rewards through more places than ever.

"Members are already shopping for many of these products and services and now they can be rewarded for it," said Eric Jaffe, SVP of Shop Your Way. "Our goal is to make it easy to earn rewards wherever you shop, and our growing partner network shows we are poised to deliver."

Retail sales generally improved in June, helped by good weather and big discounts as retailers look to clear inventory for the back-to-school season.
 
Costco Wholesale Corp. reported a 6% increase in June same-store sales, helped by higher fuel prices. Its results topped Wall Street estimates.

Excluding the impact of foreign exchange rates and gasoline prices, Costco’s same-store sales increased 6% for the five-week period ended July 6. The metric rose 5% in the United States and 7% overseas.  

ShopAtHome.com, one of the largest coupon search engines connecting shoppers to exclusive deals and cash-back savings, has expanded its product offering to include ShopGold Rewards, a new program that offers free gift cards from major retailers to consumers.

The company said that ShopGold Reward’s launch has positioned it as the “most extreme savings hub anywhere,” and the only site offering coupons, cash back and free gift card rewards in an integrated way through its site and apps.

Augusta, Georgia — Ben Carter Enterprises will break ground in December on the Outlet Mall of Georgia at Augusta, an 800,000-sq.-ft. fashion outlet mall slated to open in spring 2016.

Ben Carter’s announcement comes on the heels of a key land agreement reached with the owners of the Georgia Theatre Co., who agreed to reposition their theatre to accommodate the mall.

Boston – Wayfair is launching program integration on HGTV shows including "Brother vs. Brother" and "Flipping The Block." This integration is part of a broader partnership, which through program integration and daily sales events on Wayfair.com, lets consumers shop directly from HGTV shows.

Dallas - 7-Eleven is celebrating its 87th birthday with eight days of free offers, beginning July 11. To receive each day's free offer, a customer must first download and register on the 7-Eleven app.

A customer opens the 7-Eleven app at the store and shows the member barcode to the sales associate at checkout. The barcode appears below the coupons. Once the associate scans the barcode at the register, the customer will receive the item as they check out.

Columbus, Ohio - Sbarro is entering into Bolivia with a new store opening at the Ventura Mall in Santa Cruz. Sbarro Bolivia SRL plans to open a total of 10 eateries in Bolivia during the next decade.

The franchise agreement with Sbarro Bolivia SRL further expands Sbarro's footprint in South America, which currently includes eateries in Brazil and Colombia, as well as locations launching soon in Peru.