News

Stores the new darlings of omnichannel retailing
Stores are once again the darlings of retail — even e-commerce pure plays are scrambling to establish brick-and-mortar locations, while established brands are busy exploring new ways to leverage their existing physical footprint. Many predicted that the store would survive — and indeed thrive — but few realized the full degree to which stores would become a coveted link within today’s customer-driven “commerce anywhere” shopping experience.
Growing Shopko to open 15 stores in July
Shopko is continuing on its growth path with the opening of 15 new Shopko Hometown stores across eight states this July.

The new locations join 20 stores Shopko already opened earlier this year and more than 15 additional stores the company plans to open in October.

Panera unveils omnichannel ad campaign

St. Louis — Panera Bread has unveiled a new national omnichannel advertising platform. Developed in collaboration with the Anomaly agency, the "Food as it should be" campaign includes national television spots, billboards, radio advertising and digital and display content that will begin to air this week.
Dr Pepper celebrates Hispanic youth culture

Dr Pepper is targeting Hispanic millennials through a creative marketing partnership with the 2015 Premios Juventud VIP Tour.

The PJ VIP Tour, which paves the way to the 2015 Premios Juventud Awards Show airing on the Univision Network on July 16, will make stops in Miami, Los Angeles, San Jose, Houston, and will finish in Chicago and give Dr Pepper a special opportunity to tap into the Latino youth market.
Report: Amazon expands two-day shipping assortment for Prime members

Seattle — Amazon.com is reportedly expanding the assortment of items eligible for free two-day shipping for members of its Prime paid subscription. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is now listing items shipped directly from third-party seller warehouses for free Prime two-day shipping, without any publicity.
Report: Gen Y loves Walmart

Generation Y prefers to shop at Walmart over Target, Costco, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s, according to Ad Age.

"Millennials now, as a generation, like Walmart the best, more so than Generation X, more so than boomers," Matt Kistler, Walmart’s senior VP-consumer insights and analytics, said.

Walmart is most popular among people under 24, as well as every store but Target among 25- to 34-year-olds, according to InfoScout, a provider of shopper insights with a nationwide panel of more than 170,000 shoppers.
Starbucks expands mobile ordering to 3,400 U.S. stores

Seattle – Starbucks Corp. is expanding its mobile order and payment service to about 3,400 stores in 21 new states in the southern and central United States. The company launched mobile order and payment feature as a pilot in Portland, Ore. in Dec. 2014.

The mobile payment feature allows Starbucks mobile app users to place their order in advance and pick it up at a selected Starbucks location. It is integrated into the Starbucks app and loyalty program.
Macy's touts appointment service for Father's Day

Just ahead of Dad’s big day on Sunday, Macy’s is promoting its Father’s Day offerings by encouraging shoppers to use its appointment service to find the perfect gift for Dad.
Gap to close 175 namesake stores in North America, lay off 250 HQ employees

San Francisco — Gap Inc. on Monday lowered the boom on its biggest and most troubled division, announcing it would close 175 of its 675 namesake stores in North America over the next few years, with 140 of the closures occurring in the current fiscal year. In line with the closings, the brand’s headquarters workforce will be reduced by about 250 roles this year.

The closings will not impact Gap Outlet and Gap Factory Stores. Gap will also close a limited number of European locations, but it did not give a specific store count.
High-definition merchandising: Sharper focus, clearer decisions

While technology and innovation flourish on the consumer side of fashion, inside retail headquarters, merchants and planners still rely on reports and tools that have barely evolved from the three-ring binders and green screens of the 1970s. Merchants and planners, many of whom grew up as digital natives, navigate an awkward time warp: They commute from the consumer world to offices that stifle their skills in interpreting and acting on visual, interactive data and tools.