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AVON, Ohio — Duck Tape is heading to the runway this Thursday on Lifetime’s “Project Runway,” as season 11’s aspiring designers face the “Unconventional Materials Challenge,” a competition in every season that challenges them to create high-fashion clothing from something other than fabric.

New York -- Brands and retailers have the most followed or “Liked” pages on social media, according to WSL/Strategic Retail. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of users who “Fan” social media pages, are choosing to follow brands and retailers -- beating out celebrities and TV shows which are followed by just over half of users.  

The finding was unveiled as part of the company’s Buzz to Buy 3.0 trend report, its third annual survey measuring how the power of Social Media and online information are impacting buying decisions.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Dole Food Company has started the New Year with a new look for its website.

Dole describes the redesigned website as easy for consumers to use on all tablets and mobile devices. Dole teamed up with Santa Monica-based digital agency Blitz for one year to work on the redesign.

From mobile payments to mining big data for customer insights, savvy retailers are using all the tools at their disposal to engage and connect with shoppers and provide relevant, convenient and personalized shopping experiences across all channels.

As retailers competitively position themselves for growth in 2013 and beyond, there are a number of hot buttons or key considerations that will be driving their strategies. Here is a look at some of the top ones:

Marketing and IT collaboration

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s Creative Ideas magazine is extending its reach into cyber territory to offer consumers home-improvement project ideas for the New Year.

Since its launch in 1998, the nearly 15-year-old magazine has enjoyed what it touts as one of the largest circulations for a free publication nationwide. Evolving with the times, the magazine now has a top-rated free iPad app in the iTunes Newsstand, as well as a robust following on Pinterest and more than 1,000 how-to videos available online at YouTube.com/Lowes.

Chicago -- E-commerce and digital marketing company Acquity Group announced Monday social media findings that revealed the vast majority of retailers don’t respond to customer tweets.
 
The 2012 Brand eCommerce Audit evaluated Interbrand's 2012 Best Retail Brands on customer engagement across major digital channels, including big browser, social and mobile.
 

By Derek Bonney, [email protected]

Technology has shifted everything, especially the retail experience. Not only has it changed how we locate, evaluate and purchase products or services, it has created a treasure trove of data for both retailers and marketers. So let’s examine something I call the “Retail Shift.”

Chicago -- Social media is now essential to marketing in the retail industry, according to a recent BDO USA survey, which found that 86% of retail CMOs have included social media in their holiday marketing strategy. The executives said social media accounts for 10% of their holiday advertising and marketing budgets this year.