Sales & Marketing

“Listening” on a visual platform such as Instagram might seem like an oxymoron, but there is no paradox in Pep Boys’ success in this endeavor.

For luxury watch retailer Tourneau, brick-and-mortar historically took precedence over online operations.

The New York-based retailer is known for having long-tenured associates with deep knowledge. This emphasis on the in-store experience often left digital commerce overlooked among the company’s strategic priorities.

However, recognizing that the modern consumer now expects a seamlessly blended experience that crosses the physical and digital channels, Tourneau is entering the omnichannel world with help from Demandware.

Nautilus is getting up close and personal with shoppers.

The maker of Bowflex, Universal and other exercise equipment brands has opened its first-ever retail store, The Nautilus Shop, at its headquarters in Vancouver.

The roughly 3,000 -sq.-ft. space is designed to create an environment that supports engagement between customers and products, as well as the development of new concepts for the company’s retail partners.

Cousins Subs, a regional sub sandwich retailer with more than 100 locations in Wisconsin and Arizona, knows that a bigger sandwich isn’t better unless it has the right ingredients.

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based Cousins is taking the same approach to corporate growth that it takes to increasing the size of its sandwiches. Cousins is partnering with customer analytics platform provider Buxton to develop site selection strategies based on core customer insights. Buxton will also identify new real estate growth opportunities for Cousins Subs in the Midwest.

Rebecca Flick has joined Hancock Fabrics, a struggling operator of 260 stores, as CFO after spending 14 years early in her finance career with the Home Depot.

Flick was named CFO effective Jan. 4, to fill a position that had been held on an interim basis since August 2015 by O. Pierce Crockett, Hankcock’s divisional VP and controller. Crockett stepped in to lead the finance group after James Brown resigned as CFO after holding the post for less than two years.

Some of the details are vague, but businesses and individuals selling items via Amazon.com experienced a generally successful holiday season.

According to figures released by Amazon, more than 23 million items were ordered worldwide from sellers on Amazon on Cyber Monday, a more than 40% increase year-over-year. Use of the Amazon Sponsored Products targeted advertising service by sellers grew more than 100%year-over-year worldwide. Clicks on Sponsored Products in the U.S. grew by more than 200% from the previous holiday season.

Chain Store Age’s annual SPECS conference is the must-attend event for retail and restaurant executives involved in the design, construction, and maintenance of stores. This year’s show — to be held March 13-15, 2016, at the Hilton Anatole, Dallas — is shaping up as one of the best ever, with presentations by Target, Under Armour and The Container Store to name but a few.

Marsh Supermarkets, a regional grocer with 73 stores in Indiana and Ohio, needs to know its customers especially well to compete with larger supermarket chains.

To that end, Indianapolis-based Marsh is partnering with targeted marketing software vendor inStream to provide personalized, targeted offers on the front of consumer receipts. InStream drives customer engagement and sales via personalized targeting based on customer-specific purchase data.