Marketing

Merchants and marketers need each other. On the most brilliant days of brand building, they share a brain and become united as one to create and deliver the very best offer to consumers. When this happens, they become "merchketeers."

How can smaller retailers and mom-and-pop shops increase their visibility during the seasonal shopping rush? One solution is to increase online marketing activities.

Unlike traditional rewards programs, transaction marketing enables retailers to build campaigns that target specific customer purchasing characteristics. Such purchasing characteristics may include ZIP code, store name, store category, purchase frequency or amount of expenditure.

Sixty-three percent of chief marketing officers at leading U.S. retailers say their 2010 holiday advertising and marketing budgets have remained flat, a continued trend from 2009 and 2008.

We all know that the U.S. Hispanic market is experiencing substantial growth. In 2000, the U.S. Census confirmed that in the previous decade the Hispanic population grew more than four times that of the general population. This year’s census is expected to document even more growth, signaling to retailers nationwide that now is the time to break into this flourishing market.

The honest answer is that they're all right, and that’s a very frustrating answer.

With marketing budgets under so much scrutiny today, you’d be amazed at how many of the companies I work with still allow marketers to rely solely on instinct and intuition.

Today, the benefits of digital signage have gotten easier to understand. It's become easier to deploy, with the costs of the hardware and software coming down considerably. Pair that with the advancements in signage platforms, and the technology is easier to present than ever before. Throw in the green component — i.e., how much paper, fuel and resources can be saved with digital signage — and you'll really get some attention.

Each product category, retailer and brand has its own challenges. An in-depth insight into your constituents will ultimately unite your brand to sales. Take the time to question and understand who they are before initiating contact. Asking the right questions may lead you in new directions -- and towards new ways of achieving a higher ROI.

After going to head-to-head with discounted holiday gifts like luxury cashmere sweaters and appliances last year, gift cards are expected to emerge as winners this holiday season. According to NRF’s 2010 Gift Card Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, Americans will spend an average of $145.61 on gift cards, up from $139.91 last year. Total gift card spending is expected to reach $24.78 billion. NRF’s first holiday survey, released last month, found that gift cards remain the most requested holiday gift, marking the fourth year in a row gift cards have topped consumers’ wish lists.