News

New York – Macy’s Inc. is testing the effectiveness of mobile video ads on Facebook. On May 16, the retailer began running video ads using Facebook’s auto-play feature on the mobile newsfeed in its iPhone app.

The ads appear at the top of the newsfeed and start playing when the user scrolls down. If clicked, they become full-screen size and audio turns on. Users are allowed to like, share and/or comment on the ads.

Miami – Burger King Corp. is preparing a new marketing slogan, “Be Your Way.” The new slogan, which appeared in an online video in April 2014, will be featured in a TV ad for the first time on May 26.

New York - Cole Haan is opening The Driver Shop in six retail locations, offering personalization of the driving moccasin with several accessories in dozens of colors. In stores, accessories are available at stations where on-site "mechanics" will outfit Cole Haan Drivers to customer specifications by appointment or while customers wait, or they can return later to pick them up.

Stockholm, Sweden - The Analysis Division of Tobii Technology is launching Tobii Glasses 2, a wearable eye-tracking research system in the world. Based on a new, proprietary, wearable eye-tracking platform from Tobii that will support research and consumer applications, Tobii Glasses 2 offers wireless live viewing.
Key new features of Tobii Glasses 2 include:

Greenwich, Conn. – Merger and acquisition (M&A) dealflow in the retail mobile payment sector has risen 500% between 2009 and 2013, while investment dealflow has grown 300%. According to data from Mooreland Partners, a mid-market investment bank specializing in technology deals, there were 232 M&A deals in this sector from 2009-213, and 259 from 1999-2013.

Dallas – Zale Corp. reported net earnings of $9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, an impressive 80% jump from $5 million a year earlier. This soaring growth came even as revenues slipped 3% to $431 million, from $443 million.

A lower cost of sales and higher pretax earnings and operating earnings helped boost Zale’s net earnings. Zale cited the net decrease of 78 stores compared to the prior year and a decline in the Canadian exchange rate, partially offset by same-store sales growth of 1.9%, as driving down revenues.

San Francisco - Swift Communications, a multi-platform publisher based in Carson City, Nevada, is making a strategic investment in Engage3, a retail intelligence and digital marketing solution provider. The two companies are also working together to identify retailer and supplier partners in the markets Swift serves to drive additional consumer value.

The amount of the investment, which closed earlier this month and will be used to expand the features of Engage3’s solutions, was not released.

By Kellie Peterson, Director of Marketing at iinside

The supermarket business has never been more competitive than it is today. In any given geographic location, supermarkets compete with traditional rivals including local, regional, national and international stores, as well as farm shares, farmer’s markets, and specialty retailers. Big-box retailers are, of course, also getting into grocery, and then there’s the increasing threat of online retailers.

Atlanta – Severe weather dampened net income and sales growth at The Home Depot during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, causing increases in those figures to fall short of Wall Street estimates. Net income improved 17% to $1.4 billion from $1.2 billion.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc. attributed a 44% drop in net earnings during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 to lower sales caused by store closures and a rise in the value of the dollar. Net earnings of $96 million were 44% below net earnings of $170 million reported a year earlier.