Loyalty Marketing

Highly promotional activity and increased multichannel initiatives not only helped Shoe Carnival hit its expectations, but exceed $1 billion in net sales for the year.   For the quarter ended January 28, 2017, the retailer’s net sales were $234.2 million, a 0.2% increase, compared to net sales of $233.7 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. While it was in line with its goals, this was just shy of Wall Street’s prediction for sales of $235 million.  

While Starbucks’ is ramping up its commitment to digital initiatives, one of its newest programs gives a new meaning to “ordering on the go.”  

Consumers feel good about some — but not all — retail technologies.    That’s according to a new study by Oracle, Retail 2025, which reveals that consumers are most willing to engage brands with new technology if they feel that they are in control of their experience.  

eBay is preparing to connect with each of its individual consumers — starting from the first minute they visit the site.   The company plans to do so with a new homepage that is “designed to inspire and engage with relevant, personalized content and highlighted deals,” according to the company.  

Amazon’s voice-controlled assistant is becoming a more powerful shopping tool.     Amazon announced on Tuesday that Prime Now subscribers can now use Alexa to order from Prime Now and its two-hour delivery service in the cities where it is available (30 in total at the present time).   In addition, customers can also order from Prime Now’s newly launched alcohol delivery service in the markets where it is offered.  

Costco Wholesale Corp. is making it easier for customers to shop for groceries.   Shipt, a membership-based delivery service for online groceries, has partnered with Costco to deliver groceries orders placed by Costco customers directly to their homes.      The service will launch initially in the Tampa area, with plans to expand to 50 markets and more than 30 million households by the end of the year.  It is limited to grocery, and does not include apparel, furniture or electronic

Online reviews have boomed in recent years. Once just another step in the customer decision-making process, they are now a pervasive part of daily life.  

Charlotte Russe is taking steps to blend its online and offline experiences.    The young women’s apparel specialty chain recently added a mobile commerce platform from PredictSpring designed to deliver a next-generation app to its customers. The app delivers the three key elements most demanded by Charlotte Russe’s customer: speed, flexibility, and a smooth blend of the online and offline brand experience.