TECHNOLOGY

Target in new exclusive partnership—with TV duo
Target Corp. is launching a new brand with HGTV's 'Fixer Upper' stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, and it's doing it just in time for the holidays. The retailer announced an exclusive multi-year partnership with Magnolia, the home and lifestyle brand founded by the Gaines, to launch a home and lifestyle goods line called Hearth & Hand. It is Magnolia’s first collaboration with a retailer.
Amazon rings up $500,000 in grocery sales in one week following Whole Foods Market deal
It only took seven days for Amazon to begin reaping the benefits of its acquisition of Whole Foods Market.

Report: Social media giant turns catalogs into buyable mobile ads

Facebook is helping retailers bring their catalogs to life. The social media giant introduced a new ad format that enables brands to distribute catalogs through mobile devices. Called "lifestyle templates,” the new format replicates the look of a print catalog, and also allows customers to make a purchase items directly through the Facebook ad, according to Business Insider.
Study: Marketers fear data quality is hurting digital ads

Relevant, personalized messages are key to driving engagement, yet the quality of sourced data is negatively impacting results. This was according to “More Data, More Problems: Trust, Transparency & Targeting in 2017.” The report from Bazaarvoice and Ad Age, is based on interviews of more than 300 agency and brand marketers.
Report: Walmart reorganizing U.S. store ops

Walmart is simplifying its U.S. business as it looks to respond more quickly to the accelerating pace of change in the retail industry. The discounter is consolidating its six divisional groups into four and its 44 U.S. regional groups to 36, reported Bloomberg.
Restaurant lets customers pay using their face

A new restaurant concept gives customers an easy — and high-tech way — to pay for their meal without having to take out their wallet or even their smartphone.
Target pairs associates with digital experts in 'innovation sprint'

Target Corp. has kicked off a partnership with BCG Digital Ventures to conduct a 14-week “innovation sprint.” For the project, BCG's experts (including designers, engineers and investors) are working side-by-side with five Target associates to develop new growth concepts and ideas. (The associates are middle managers from across Target's various divisions, reported the Star Tribune.)
America's most trustworthy brand is...

Face-to-face human contact is not necessary for a brand to make a strong connection with consumers.
Study: Majority of grocery sales are digitally driven

Digital's influence on grocery overall has nearly doubled year over year, and is now impacting the in-store experience.
Study: Millennials put a premium on store associates

Generation Y may be tech-savvy, but for many, store employees still play a pivotal role in their overall shopping experience. In fact, 63% of shoppers aged 18-35 see store associates as extremely important to their retail experience, according to the “Store Associates Report,” from ChargeItSpot. The study is based on responses from more than 600 shoppers at malls across the country.