Big Retailers Confident They Can Compete with Amazon

There's been a lot of talk this week about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos receiving an award from the National Retail Federation (NRF). As many news sources have pointed out, the NRF includes many members who are struggling to compete with Amazon. Competitors like Walmart claim to be undaunted by Bezos's promise to keep being a "pioneer" in the online retail space. "Amazon is a great competitor, but we’re all great competitors," Bill Simon, CEO of Walmart...read more >>

Retailers Race to Keep Up with Smartphonatics

Pop quiz, hotshot: What's a smartphonatic? A. A person who's both smart and hooked on phonics B. The name of an obscure 70s Motown group C. Someone who changes their shopping, financial, and payment behavior as a result of owning a smartphone As much as I'd like to say the answer is B, in truth, it's C. And smartphonatics have the attention of retailers. Why? Because smartphonatics love to shop. "Mobile shoppers make a purchase 59 percent more often...read more >>

Macy’s Explores the Lure of Themed Content

Macy's has reached into the annals of department store history with a recent promotion. Their Brazil-themed marketing push, which officially debuted April 22, mirrors decades-old department store promotions that sought to pull customers in with food, music, and a select set of products tied to a distant land. In Macy's case, that means store-in-store areas dubbed "O Mercado, The Market at Macy's" and a themed landing page on their site. (You can...read more >>