Loyalty Marketing

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- The use of mobile applications for shopping purposes doubled in the past year, with 41% of consumers actively using mobile apps while shopping, according to CFI Group’s Retail Satisfaction Barometer survey.

The study found that 67% of 18-34 year-olds use mobile apps during their shopping experience. While Millennials are typically the focus of retailers' mobile efforts, most consumers of all ages indicated that they have two to four shopping apps installed, proving that mobile isn't a generational-only trend.

Austin, Texas – Dining out appears to be a big part of consumers’ summer plans. According to two recent surveys of more than 1,000 adults conducted by digital offers provider RetailMeNot, respondents estimate on average they will eat out nearly every day of the week (six days) and likely nine times a week during vacation.

No longer content as a social platform for sharing promotional offers, DealPlus.com has relaunched its site to include new capabilities for users to feature curated assortments of merchandise.

Campbell, Calif. – Social shopping site DealsPlus.com has overhauled its site. Starting July 1, DealsPlus users will be able to create, curate and share their own "collections" of products.

Collections make it easy for users to find ideas from like-minded members of the community. For example, users looking for summer home decor inspiration can now "admire" the Summer Home collection and find targeted online deals. As part of the new release DealsPlus will begin working with celebrity and expert collection curators.

Nine West has integrated LivePerson’s LiveEngage digital engagement solution into the Demandware Commerce platform for its website.

According to LivePerson, the LiveEngage platform helps Nine West meet evolving consumer demands for a more seamless digital shopping journey, and has simultaneously improved the brand's customer reported satisfaction, increased incremental revenue and reduced support costs.

Nine West reported the following results four months after implementing LiveEngage:

Paris - Most retailers (65%) struggle with getting omnichannel commerce right and cite underperforming technology, changing IT trends and the complex organizational infrastructure as the primary reasons. According to a recent survey from Ipanema Technologies, retailers see the customer-centric experience as including excellent customer service (58%), fast transactions (55%) and interchangeable purchase channels (49%), but only 35% of respondents describe their customer experience as excellent.

The Walmart Foundation has kicked off a summer-long initiative to help children and families gain access to nutritious meals and learn healthy-eating habits. Walmart is also collaborating with Chef Lorena Garcia, chef and author with TV appearances on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” and NBC’s “Biggest Loser,” to launch the Eat Healthy Together Challenge on Twitter.

Jeffersonville, Ind. - Almost three-quarters (72%) of consumers only want to socially interact with a brand when they first comment on social media channels. Findings from a new customer survey from Accent Marketing Services LLC also show that 75% of Millennials find it helpful when other customers/followers respond to a question or comment posted on a brand’s social media channel, compared to 55% of Baby Boomers.