Dick's Sporting Goods

The belief that sports make people better is the premise of a newly created ad campaign from Dick’s Sporting Goods which requires shoppers to contemplate their future.

The campaign aired March 6, with the introspective tagline, “Who Will You Be?” on television and via digital channels.

The campaign’s launch was timed to coincide with ESPN’s College Basketball Championship Week.

The CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods says the growth of the retailer’s omnichannel network and improved marketing led to better-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter.

Edward Stack, chairman and CEO at Dick’s, said the company reported a profit of $156 million, or $1.30 a share, up from a profit of $139 million, or $1.11 a share, a year earlier. Revenue grew 11% to $2.16 billion. Same store sales jumped 3.4%.

By Shah Karim, Saferock

If it hasn't done so already, the consumer experience will undoubtedly include omnichannel shopping, mobile, and social media as part of what consumers do naturally. Based on this inevitable evolution of how customers engage with retailers, here are seven retail “megatrends” which will become reality by 2020.

New York -- Home shopping giant HSN is number one in online customer experience, according to the E-tailing Group's 2014l Customer Experience Index. Overall results for the 8th year of the study came in at 72.06, rising above the mark of 71.06 in 2013’s analysis. On the 2014 index, eleven merchants hit the 80+ pinnacle, with HSN have the top score at 88, followed by Office Depot (84.75) and Dick’s Sporting Goods (83).

Free stuff and flexible employment opportunities for athletes are key elements of Dick’s Sporting Goods first ever partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The 2016 Summer Games will be held in Brazil in 2016 and to help athletes prepare Dick’s said it would offer jobs and equipment donations at U.S. Olympic training centers.

Pittsburgh -- In a first for Dick’s Sporting Goods, the retailer said it will serve as the official sporting goods retail sponsor to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and Team USA., as it prepares for the 2016 Summer Games, which will be held in Brazil.

Dick’s will focus on supporting U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls with jobs and equipment.

Charlottesville, Va. -- Construction has begun on a new 73-acre, super-regional shopping center, 5th Street Station, in the heart of southern Charlottesville. 5th Street Station brings the first Wegmans store to Central Virginia, along with 335,000 sq. ft. of additional anchor, junior anchor and small-shop opportunities.  

By Will Poindexter and Coleman Mark, Bain & Company
 
Retailers need to quickly build world-class IT capabilities for omnichannel retailing — a seamless, integrated shopping experience, whether the customers are in the store or online. The major reason: customer expectations are rising, in part thanks to the strides made by new competitors with business models built on technology, and pure-play retailers like Amazon, which are not encumbered by legacy environments and physical stores.