YouTube

Videos just became more valuable to retailers. YouTube is releasing Shopping ads, a new advertising format that lets viewers click and buy products directly from videos.

Woody Allen famously said 80% of success is showing up, and that saying may well apply to mobile retailing. According to a new study from Google, “Micro-moments: Your Guide to Winning the Shift to Mobile,” 51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting research.

In addition, showing up in mobile search ad results can increase unaided brand awareness 46%. And one in three smartphone users have purchased from a company or brand other than the one they intended because of information provided in the moment they needed it.

Another digital-native retailer is going the mall route. And this one is aimed at shoppers who love to play with makeup.

NYX Professional Makeup on Oct. 2 will open its first-ever physical store, at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall, Arcadia, California. The Los Angeles-based brand, which was acquired by L'Oreal in June 2014, says it plans to roll out additional stores nationwide and globally in select urban centers throughout 2016.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop continues the transformation of its store experience — and business.

The specialty retailer on Tuesday debuted its updated store design at Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota. Part of a company-wide brand refresh, the reformatted location was developed to increase productivity and optimize space while updating the brand’s overall brand look. New elements include:

• Sophisticated new logo, store set-up and color palette;

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Social media and search engines are two of the most popular online destinations, but are heading in different directions when it comes to customer satisfaction. According to new data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), social media’s index score climbed 4% to a score of 74 on a 100-point scale.
    

New York – Although overall back-to-school shopping is starting later in 2015 than the prior year, online back-to-school shoppers are getting an earlier start than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. According to a new trend report on back-to-school shopping from Internet marketing agency PM Digital, 30% of online shoppers will start buying back-to-school items at least two months before school starts, compared to 22% of overall shoppers.

Mall operator Simon knows teen girls are a key part of its consumer base, and it is courting them this summer.

Indianapolis - Mall operator Simon knows teen girls are a key part of its consumer base, and is courting them this summer. Simon and Teen Vogue are partnering to present the fourth annual Teen Vogue Back-to-School Saturdays (BTSS) omnichannel promotion.