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Most retailers now have some sort of social presence, but too often it consists of having an account on popular social media networks and little more. Following are five examples of recent retail social media offerings that leverage social media’s unique ability to engage consumers, improve operations and boost profits.

American Eagle – ‘Rock Your Walk’

New York – Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th has launched an e-commerce site that gives shoppers visibility and accessibility to shop for items that may have limited distribution and only in select stores nationwide.
    
In addition, the e-commerce site will offer customers access to Salon Z, a plus-size women’s program not available in all stores.

New York -- Despite the availability of retail technology, price and product selection are still the largest factors influencing shopper decisions, according to an annual study by global IT services and consulting firm Cognizant. Fifty-five percent of shoppers will leave a store to look online or shop another store if they think a price seems too high, and 21% will ask for a price match.
 

Saks Off 5th has launched its online store, saksoff5th.com. It joins a list of closeout retailers that are getting comfortable in the e-commerce market. The online store will offer up to 55% off merchandise year-round.

Toys ‘R’ Us has opened Trick ‘R’ Treat “Bootiques” inside Toys "R" Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com. These in-store shops feature a broad assortment of Halloween costumes, accessories, candy and gear.

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R’ Us is opening Trick ‘R’ Treat “Bootiques” inside Toys "R" Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com. These in-store shops feature a broad assortment of Halloween costumes, accessories, candy, gear and more.

Washington, D.C. -- Nearly 158 million consumers will participate in Halloween activities this year, slightly less than the historic high of 170 million people last year. New figures from the National Retail Federation (NRF) indicate the average consumer will spend $75.03 on Halloween this year, down 6% from $79.82 last year.

However, average overall spending on Halloween has increased 54.7% since 2005, with total spending estimated to reach $6.9 billion in 2013. Other NRF figures include:

Traditionally, retailers relied on advertising and direct response to succeed. To make more money, retailers simply let more people know about their stores and products.