Sales & Marketing

Chipotle Mexican Grill is going to test delivering burritos by drones.
 
The Mexican fast-casual brand has teamed up with Project Wing, a unit of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc., to deliver the items to a select group of students and employees at Virginia Tech, USA Today reported.

The test will last a few weeks, the report said, with the drones delivering the food with a winch.  

The more casual sister of Loft and Ann Taylor has opened its first location in New York City.

The store, in Manhattan’s Flatiron district, reflects the easy-going, laid-back approach of the merchandise on display, with a design that evokes a soft, clean feeling. It features marble tables and fitting rooms that evoke a lounge space – floating curtains in linen with pink velvet stools.
       

Stuart Wetizman’s new service is connecting loyal shoppers with their “solemates.”

Called "The Ultimate Boot Guide,” the luxury footwear brand’s new digital service assists shoppers as they the hunt for their “perfect pair of boots” among more than 70 boot styles available this season on Stuartweitzman.com.

Officials in Sarasota, Florida, are envisioning building a mixed-use project on the site of the town’s Ringling Shopping Center, the site over which Walmart lost a fight to build a new store.

The 9.7-acre site could accommodate 222 residential units and 175,000 sq. ft. of office and retail space. Customer traffic at Ringling Shopping Center, Sarasota’s oldest, had fallen off precipitously in recent years.

On Sept. 1, UPS announced that effective Dec. 26, 2016, the UPS U.S. Ground service daily rate will increase by an average net 4.9%. Additionally, UPS Freight announced an average net 4.9% general rate increase effective Sept. 19, 2016.

Out with the old, in with the new at Macerich’s Santa Monica Place, in Santa Monica, California.      WithMe, an interactive brick-and-mortar shopping experience that features limited runs of traditional and pure-play retail brands, has opened three new fashion pop-ups in its flagship space at the mall.  

Thirsty for meaningful brand interactions, consumers are turning to social media more regularly.
 
While it’s still largely used for socializing and product discovery, social media is increasingly influencing consumer purchasing decisions, according to “Shopping’s Social Influence,” a new report from digital advertising and analytics firm Adlucent.
 

10 Corso Como, the eternally cool Milanese retailer, is coming to the Big Apple.   The Howard Hughes Corp, announced that the Milan-based retailer will open its first U.S. store in the Seaport District of lower Manhattan as part of the development’s ongoing transformation.