Sales & Marketing

GRAPEVINE, Texas — As retailers large and small vie for foot traffic during the highly competitive back-to-school season, GameStop is focusing its efforts on the segment of its market that is on summer vacation.

The multichannel video game retailer has launched a five-week Summer Playcation promotion the offers gamers deals now through Aug. 18 in all U.S. GameStop locations.

Austin, Texas – Digital coupon provider RetailMeNot launches its IPO on Friday of 9,090,908 shares of its Series 1 common stock at a price to the public of $21 per share. Shares will be available on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "SALE." Of the shares in the offering, 4,545,454 shares are being offered by RetailMeNot and 4,545,454 shares are being offered by selling stockholders.

NEW YORK — U.S. consumers spent more in June, as real home prices and initial unemployment claims continued to improve, according to the Deloitte Consumer Spending Index for June 2013.

The index comprises four components of tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices, increased to 4.3 from a reading of 4.2 the previous month.   

Following is a summary of the four main components of the Index:

Dallas – The market for social CRM software, or technology that allows retailers to perform activities such as social monitoring, social listening, social management and social measurement for providing an enhanced customer experience, is set to grow exponentially in the next few years.

According to a new report from RnR Market Research, the social CRM technology market will expand from $1.91 billion in 2013 to $9.08 billion in 2018. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.5% from 2013 to 2018.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Further signs of the nation's recovering housing market were evident in Whirlpool Corporation's reported net earnings of $198 million for the second quarter ended June 30, compared to net earnings of $113 million for the same period last year.

The company's net sales for the quarter were $4.7 billion, compared to $4.5 billion reported during the same period last year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency as well as Brazilian tax credits, sales increased approximately 6%.

San Francisco – On July 19, online transportation service provider Uber is offering a one-day promotion where mobile customers could use the Uber app to order on-demand ice cream from an ice cream truck.

App users in 33 global cities, including 22 in the U.S. and Canada, have a one-day “order ice cream” option on their app. If one of several ice cream trucks deployed in each city is available, customers can order a bundle of five to six ice cream treats with payment directly charged to their Uber account.

Product safety data sheets don’t get a lot of love in the retail industry, but major changes are underway that will make this formerly mundane document the cornerstone of numerous best practices.

Irvine, Calif. – Showrooming is not just something afflicting large retail chains. Eighty percent of small retailers also report being affected by showrooming, with 47% indicating a moderate impact, according to new data from small business software provider Sage North America.

In addition, Sage data finds that $68 of every $100 spent at a local retailer stays in the community where it is spent, compared to only $32 out of every $100 spent at a non-local retailer.