News

Costco launches social member referral program
Costco is trying to increase its membership base in Canada with an innovative social media campaign.

The warehouse club retailer has launched a customer referral program twinned with social media that uses technology from a firm called Buyapowa.

The campaign launched this week in partnership with Proctor & Gamble and will allow Costco members to win $20 of P&G Goods for every friend they refer to Costco to become a member. All successful referrers will be shown on a leaderboard, with additional P&G prizes awarded to those when the promotion ends.
Tech Guest Viewpoint: The Importance of Data in Customer Loyalty
By Gitte Amstrup Sandlykke, chief marketing Officer, Targit

The success or failure of any business in this crowded and complex marketplace comes down to whether business goals are met – maintaining customer loyalty is chief among them. However, many retailers are beginning to confuse loyalty with promotions, loyalty cards and awards, undermining brand equity rather than building stronger ties with their customers.

Dollar General donates millions toward literacy

Dollar General is making a difference in the lives of its customers and their communities with another massive donation to literacy programs.

The retailer’s Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $5.8 million in grants to support adult, family and summer literacy programs to approximately 720 schools, nonprofits and literacy organizations across the 43 states Dollar General serves.
Hhgregg misses in Q4, loss widens

Indianapolis – Consumer electronics retailer Hhgregg Inc. had anything but an electric fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, missing Wall Street expectations for profit and revenue. Net loss widened to $25.23 million from $7.24 million the same quarter a year earlier.

Net sales shrunk 10% to $485.6 million from $538.3 million. Same-store sales also fell 10%. Rising selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses, as well as a non-cash asset impairment, helped increase net loss.
Lilly Pulitzer enhances omnichannel experience with Manhattan Associates

King of Prussia, Pa. – Apparel retailer Lilly Pulitzer is looking to improve its omnichannel customer experience with a rollout of multiple solutions from Manhattan Associates Inc. The deployment will include Manhattan Associates POS, clienteling, store inventory management and tablet retailing applications.
Shoes.com’s Q1 gross revenue up 89% amid repeat traffic

Vancouver -- Fast-growing Canadian online footwear retailer Shoes.com has reported record first quarter. In its first quarterly financial report since consolidating three online businesses under one platform, the company reported an increase in gross revenue of 89% to $60 million and a 129% increase in revenue from repeat customers.

Gross profit margins remained robust at 44%.
Simon Property to invest $1B in key malls

Simon Property Group will expand several shopping centers in the United States, with plans to invest approximately $1 billion annually in renovations.
Plug and Play CEO Corner: Santosh Gopal, Ship2MyID

What does your company do?
Ship2MyID is a patented shipping enablement platform that allows consumers to ship products to others without the need of the receiver’s mailing address. The world is going social and mobile. However, neither carry mailing addresses.
Big Lots grows goodwill in Ohio

Big Lots employees in Ohio will be going to work for their communities in 2015, but not in a retail store.

The company's associates in the West Columbus area will be planting and maintaining a 17-bed community garden and hope to harvest more than 2,000 pounds of fresh produce in 2015 for the LSS Westside Food Pantry through the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
Party City shrinks net loss in Q1

Elmsford, N.Y. – Party City Holdco Inc. had something to celebrate in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, shrinking net loss to $8.52 million from $19.91 million the same period a year earlier. In addition, total revenues rose 7% to $462.1 million, from $432.99 million.

Brand same-store sales increased by 5.2% aided by the shift of the Easter selling season to the first quarter, which contributed 1.5% to the increase.