Sales & Marketing

Pet lovers can now feed their own pets a wholesome meal and serve one up to a pet in need at PetSmart.

The retailer has launched a new natural pet food line called Good Natured. But the natural formulation of the food is not the only special feature of this new brand: It also has a charity component. For every bag of food purchased, PetSmart will donate a meal to a pet in need through PetSmart Charities or PetSmart Charities Canada.

Spoken word is the oldest form of human communication.

It’s also one of the newest technology trends enabling omnichannel retail. Voice-based communications are having on a dramatic impact on how retailing is seamlessly executed. Here are three key areas where voice is supporting omnichannel operations across the retail enterprise.

Picking

Specialty cosmetics retailer Urban Decay is taking a lively approach to online customer engagement.

Urban Decay plans to launch a new content-driven website later this fall using the FirstSpirit content management system. The new “UD All Access” site will complement Urban Decay’s existing Demandware-based e-commerce site with the intention of delivering a richer, more immersive and interactive experience

French specialty apparel retailer Kiabi has to keep up with the constantly changing world of fashion.

Kiabi, which operates more than 500 stores in 32 countries and also has an online presence, is using the SoftwareAG webMethids API (application programming interface) management platform to enable maximum operational flexibility. Kiabi is building cloud-based systems on the API to eliminate internal silos and open core business functions, both inside the enterprise and with external business partners.

Target Corp. is turning TV into an immediate sales driver with a new omnichannel ad campaign.

According to ClickZ, Target is partnering with Shazam, an online music app that has been expanding its functionality, to capture sales from consumers as they watch TV. Target is running TV ads that ask consumers to “Shazam to Shop Now.”

This holiday season, merchants will see at least one major change from last year: the prevalence of mobile wallets, and consumers eager to use them.  The problem is, while many large merchants are prepared to accept mobile wallets, many smaller merchants are not.

Here’s a primer on the major mobile wallets, and what merchants need to know about each.

“I’ll try the red.” It’s a phrase heard in bars and restaurants across the globe. But in Nordstrom, at their tapas bar? It’s wine in a department store one week, and perhaps a pint or a flight at Bar Lamar in Whole Foods the next, because who could say no to a nice aperitif while picking up the weekly groceries?