Branding

An everything guide on how to be a successful omnichannel retailer in 2014

Best Buy recently launched a new magazine called Best Buy Life & Tech at its stores in Canada. The magazine focuses on technology trends and lifestyle stories. The 76-page premier issue, which arrived at stores in time for the holiday shopping season, includes an article on gift ideas, a comparison of the new PS4 and Xbox One gaming consoles, and a Q&A with actress Kristen Wiig.

In a move to improve its ability to deliver a more dynamic and engaging loyalty experience with its brand across all customer touchpoints, 1-800-Flowers.com launched a new loyalty marketing platform in September. The floral and gifts omnichannel retailer is using 500friends’ LoyaltyPlus platform to power its Fresh Rewards customer loyalty program.

Ralph Lauren is making a bold statement on its homepage, but it's backing it up. In golden letters, the site reads "Legendary Customer Service." And, given its performance in Stella Monthly Benchmarks, that may be the case. The retailer topped the rankings for the first time, unseating J.Crew, which led all retailers for the past three months. J.Crew was still strong, ranking third, while L.L.Bean ranked second overall. Ralph Lauren was particularly strong in phone support, with an average total time to live agent under 30 seconds and 100 percent issue resolution. 

Brands have long had a symbiotic relationship with music, but as radio streaming via mobile devices continues to gain in popularity, some are finding opportunities beyond simple advertising as they look to cement relationships with millennials. Macy's last week launched its own radio station, mstyleradio, that will be available via the iHeartRadio mobile application and is intended to help the brand stay in touch with younger consumers throughout their day. The challenge Macy's will face is providing the kind of meaningful content that will make consumers want to listen in.

Many of you may know lululemon as the ultra-trendy vendor of uber-hip yoga apparel. For business journalists, lululemon is simply the gift that keeps on giving. That's because of the repeated and stunning capacity for ineptitude demonstrated by its leaders. Exhibit A: Founder Chip Wilson, who last week said his company's yoga pants just don't work for some women's bodies. I first wrote about lululemon back in March, when the company came under fire for the sheerness of its yoga pants. Customers complained that they were basically see-through. The result was a recall of 17 percent of its pants inventory.

The Company Store hasn't sent many flash-sale emails. In fact, among the 133 emails captured by Who's Mailing What! this year, only one recent email used the flash-sale strategy. However, The Company Store clearly did its homework.

Each company's founding myth is important, but the story matters more if it's bundled up in the sales pitch. Filson makes heavy wool jackets and hearty bags and other assorted outdoor gear from a bygone era (no Gore-Tex or Velcro here). Company founder Clinton C. Filson began in 1897, in Seattle, as an outfitter to prospectors headed to the Klondike for the gold rush. The story is central to what Filson is and the company's appeal. People — men, almost exclusively — have trusted C.C. Filson's product for more than 100 years for hunting, fishing, prospecting, logging and other outdoor pursuits. 

This past week, Uri Minkoff, co-founder of fashion apparel retailer Rebecca Minkoff, sat down with Refinery 29 Co-Founder and CEO Phillppe von Borries for a fireside chat at Fashion Digital NY. During the candid conversation, Minkoff shared what "growth hacking" is, how the brand connects with its millennial audience and what it's like working with his sibling.

J.C. Penney is reverting to its classic logo in a move to appeal to loyal — and likely lapsed – customers. Under former CEO Ron Johnson, the logo and company name was updated to simply jcp. That logo, introduced to much fanfare in early 2012, featured a square red frame, with "jcp" in a blue box in the top, left-hand corner — reminiscent of an American flag. The frame was used throughout J.C. Penney's stores and marketing. Scrapping the logo is just the latest attempt to roll back the former CEO's initiatives.