Sales & Marketing

The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) have filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals saying the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to recognize a “micro-union” of workers in a single department at a Macy’s store in Massachusetts was incorrect.

Sam’s Club’s MasterCard 5-3-1 Cash Back program, which has created keen customer engagement and memorable customer experiences since it launched less than a year ago, has won more awards.

The program, featuring a co-branded MasterCard including chip-enabled technology issued by Synchrony Bank pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated, won a silver award in the Customer Experience & Engagement category; a bronze award in the Creative Campaign category and a silver in the 360 Degree Loyalty Award for Excellence in North America.

Rehoboth Beach, Del. - Grotto Pizza has leveraged the Paytronix Rewards Platform to implement a multi-tiered loyalty program that enables the chain to reward year-round diners without heavily discounting seasonal guests. In particular, the “Winter Wednesday” promotion has enabled Grotto Pizza to increase off-season traffic on what was its slowest day of the week by 84%.

Old Bridge, N.J. - R.J. Brunelli & Co. LLC has been appointed exclusive tenant representative in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties in New Jersey by a major, multi-unit Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee for that area. The franchisee plans to open five locations per year in the three-county region.

San Jose, Calif. – PayPal Inc. is reportedly now offering its One Touch single-touch electronic payment capability to online purchases. According to Reuters, PayPal is extending the reach of the previously mobile-only One Touch to help reduce the $4 trillion in merchandise that consumers annually abandon in online shopping carts.

Customers will be able to use One Touch to make purchases across all PayPal-enabled sites without re-entering login information.

The CEO of Overstock.com says the majority of its sales are coming from mobile as the Internet retailer reported a $1.2 million decrease in profit for the first quarter.

Irvine, Calif. – La Jolla Group, vertical retailer of multiple specialty apparel brands, knows a thing or two about keeping the bad guys out of its network. The company has been using Dell SonicWall TZ series firewall technology to ensure security at both corporate headquarters and its 18 retail stores.

Chain Store Age recently had the chance to speak with noted consumer trend expert Faith Popcorn, founder and CEO of marketing consulting firm Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve, about steps McDonald’s can take to reverse its struggling fortunes. Popcorn’s insights come on the heels of McDonald’s reporting a 33% year-over-year drop in profits for first quarter 2015.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better
According to Popcorn, McDonald’s vast size is not necessarily an asset anymore.