Loyalty Marketing

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods said Thursday it has launched a new mobile application for iPhone and Android smartphones.

The new app gives users access to Dick’s ScoreCard rewards program, along with location services, social networking and mobile shopping capabilities. It also features built-in barcode scanner functionality, allowing shoppers to scan product and marketing QR codes in-store and access information including product description, news, price and user reviews.

San Francisco -- As consumers await the debut of Apple’s iPhone 5, two retailer applications are now ranked among the Top 20 “bestsellers” free apps as ranked by Apple.

Target ranks No. 8 overall and Walgreens No. 10 as of Thursday.

Target version 5.5.1 now allows users to receive coupons directly in the app and scan them in the store and is compatible with Apple's latest iPhone operating system iOS 6. And now search results on the Target app can be filtered by price, in-store or online availability and color.

PITTSBURGH — Dick's Sporting Goods has launced a new mobile application for iPhone and Android smartphones.

With the new Dick's Sporting Goods Mobile App, users will have access to all the benefits of the ScoreCard Rewards Program, the ability to locate Dick's stores in the area or make purchases directly from the app as well as be rewarded for engaging with the Dick's Sporting Goods brand on social media.

Memphis -- Fred’s Super Dollar announced that it is launching a holiday layaway plan featuring no fees and a down payment of only $1. The plan also offers a $5 gift card to customers for every layaway purchase totaling $50 or more.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Regional supermarket chain Big Y is catering to customers' bundles of joy with the launch of a new loyalty program.

NEW YORK — While holiday retail sales will remain flat or only slightly up from last year, emerging consumer buying trends will have significant implications for retailers, according to a new survey from Booz & Co.

Armonk, N.Y. -- Study results released Tuesday by IBM revealed that while U.S. consumers shopped this July and August, they were not buying clothes and notebooks for their children but rather items for the home.

According to IBM’s findings, the biggest retail gains this back-to-school shopping season came from home goods purchases which increased 30% in July and more than 25% in August over their respective months in 2012.

By Dr. Gary Edwards, [email protected]

Localization is the name of the game in multi-unit retail. Large retail chains offer consistency, scale and other benefits, but if the brand fails to deliver exceptional experiences to local consumers, it’s unlikely that the retailer will gain any real traction in today’s highly competitive retail marketplace.