Sales & Marketing

Come this winter, shoppers in frigid Minnesota will be able to escape to a tropical paradise without leaving the state.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant will open a location at Mall of American, Bloomington, Minn., on Sept. 20. The 315-seat restaurant and bar will be Margaritaville’s first in the state of Minnesota.

The first generation to grow up online — Gen Z— is also poised to rank as the most demanding consumer group in history.

That’s according to a new report from Fung Global Retail & Technology, which warns that retailers, restaurants and leisure companies will have to adapt to the wants and needs of Gen Zers (refers to those born in 2001 and later.

All travelers agree: Lost luggage can ruin any trip.

With an eye on privacy and ease of use, eBags new smart solution hopes to streamline the travel experience. The luggage and travel accessory pure-play retailer has developed an app-enabled ID tag that reunites lost luggage with their owners.

Unlike the traditional luggage tag, which prominently displays the owner's contact information for anyone to see, the eBags Connected Luggage Tag uses patent-pending privacy controls to let customers control which personal information they display on tags, and when.

The holiday shopping frenzy has begun, and it is shaping up to be more digital than ever.

Summer has barely said goodbye, but consumers nationwide have already turned their attention to the holidays. In fact, nearly one third of consumers, and nearly half of parents, began holiday shopping before Labor Day.

It’s no secret that online shopping and changing consumer preferences continue to impact physical retail traffic. Despite the shifting landscape, retail sales remain largely intact and, more importantly, are expected to increase year-over-year this holiday season.

November and December (NRF weeks 40 – 48) are known as primetime for physical retailers. Sales generated during this period immediately impact a brands’ bottom line, and they set the stage for either success or struggle in the first quarter of the following year.

Things are looking up for Toys “R” Us.   The nation’s largest specialty toy retailer posted a 20% increase in operating profit and reduced its net loss for the second-quarter amid reduced costs, including the expense of running its now-shuttered Times Square flagship.    In addition, the retailer announced it successfully reached an agreement to refinance all of its 2017 notes and a portion of its 2018 maturities.  

Whole Foods Market opened its third store under its new banner, 365 by Whole Foods Market, on Wednesday, in Bellevue, Washington.
 
The 30,000-sq.-ft. store boasts a strong digital presence, reported GeekWire, from digital signage to digital scales.
    

The mobile wallet wars are heating up again.   Best Buy is the newest retailer to accept mobile payments, a move that it expects to streamline checkout and drive loyalty. A multiyear agreement with Chase enables the chain to accept Chase Pay in its stores, on BestBuy.com, and in the Best Buy app.