Social Media

San Jose, Calif. – Neighbrhds, a product of mobile marketing provider Urban Living Marketing, has recently released more than 50 apps, each focused on providing the user with local information tailored specifically to their neighborhood. Each app, named after its corresponding neighborhood, aims to provide residents and visitors with instant access to community events, local businesses and more.

By Francesca Nicasio, Retail Expert, Vend

Implementing rewards programs is a common best practice in retail for a host of reasons. These programs can increase sales, encourage repeat purchases, and can provide a wealth of data and insights into the shopping behaviors of customers.

Appliance, electronics and furniture retailer Hhgregg is looking to drive traffic to its stores via a partnership with the Chicago Bears that will award seven fans with a VIP game-day experience.

In addition, as a partner of the team, the inaugural Chicago Bears’ street team will be named the Chicago Bears Monster Squad powered by Hhgregg.

The Skippy peanut butter brand is launching a multifaceted regional ad campaign — its first in more than five years and the first ever under Hormel Foods ownership.

After undergoing global positioning research for the Skippy brand, Hormel Foods decided to bring to life “the simple joy of eating peanut butter” across various brand platforms, from marketing to product innovations, and of course, in the new multimedia advertising campaign.

New research from an organization called the Luxury Institute found that half the executives in a recent survey are spending at least 30% of their marketing budget on digital methods with an even larger percentage concerned it isn’t enough.

The nation’s largest wholesaler of retail returns, GENCO Marketplace, and marketing automation provider SnapRetail, have combined to bring new capabilities to those looking to efficiently and profitably liquidate merchandise.

The companies joined forces to offer new, easy-to-use online marketing tools to retailers and resellers within the $2.5 billion GENCO Marketplace who will receive special software pricing, access to free educational resources and one-on-one consultations from SnapRetail.

New York – Department stores are increasingly using an omnichannel approach to meet the needs of consumers. According to the Digital IQ Index from digital intelligence provider L2, half of department stores offer shoppers a “click and collect” option, 68% allow in-store returns of online purchases, and 25% provide real-time store inventory.

Other notable findings include:

• Seventy-seven percent of department store brands offer a mobile app;

New York - SmartFocus has acquired beacon technology specialist TagPoints and social media analytics provider Content Savvy as part of its strategy to develop the U.K.'s first omnichannel digital marketing system. Its platform now offers customer engagement and analytics capabilities across all media channels, so clients can gain deeper insight into consumer behavior.