Pricing

Target has come up with a promising comeback plan. Two bold initiatives now under way — rolling out fresh groceries in more of its stores and, starting this fall, offering 5 percent discounts on nearly all purchases made with Target REDcards — should help a lot.

Local shops nationwide are pulling in thousands of new customers with group coupons online, but the deals can sometimes work too well, turning marketing into a game of retail roulette.

Women’s clothing retailer Ann Taylor has just launched its first Foursquare promotion. Shoppers who check in to one of the company’s eight New York City stores will receive 15 percent off their full-price purchase upon their fifth checkin and Mayors will receive 25 percent off their purchases of non-sale apparel and accessories.

With unemployment high and consumer confidence low, retailers are getting more creative to lure wary consumers. Grabbing shoppers from rivals is no easy task, but merchants are making a stab at innovative ways, beyond price cuts and low overhead, to lure consumers. Merchants have little choice now but to boost sales to keep profits up.

"Christmas in July" promotions are not a new retail concept, but stores and malls appear to be kicking it up a notch this year in order to spur sales in an otherwise sluggish time of the year. Retailers and mall operators are turning to "Christmas in July" events to provide an opportunity to offer sales that are "not simply a price promotion." Instead, these sales become more of a social event.

Tired of waiting for spending to rebound on its own, retailers are taking matters into their own hands. Stores like Sam’s Club, Target, Toys “R” Us, Staples and Office Depot are offering unconventional promotions meant not only to attract visitors to stores, but also to get them feeling profligate.

This fall, customers using Target-branded credit cards will a get 5 percent discount on every purchase at its stores. Gauging by the results of an eight-month test Target recently concluded in Kansas City, the company expects the program to drive a 1 percent to 2 percent nationwide increase in sales at stores open at least a year by luring shoppers to its stores more frequently to take advantage of the savings.

But now, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart’s warehouse chain, is offering a program called eValues that strives to offer bargains tailored to each member, based on that member’s buying history. Industry experts said they expected other retailers to move toward more individualized offers, too. Today, most retailers offer across-the-board discounts or deals aimed at categories of customers.

Sears is offering military veterans a chance to own their own Sears Hometown Store through their Operation Stores and Stripes contest. The contest, which is sponsored in part by Maytag Appliances, will supply the winner with their very own Sears Hometown Store location and license, merchandise, renovation, the first 90 days of the lease as well as 90 days of operating cash flow up to $130,000.

Bass Pro Shops has implemented a Facebook tab for fans to buy gift cards that will be delivered via a text message or an e-mail. The digital messages can include personalized audio for purchasers with microphone functionality, as well as uploaded photos from Facebook. Recipients will see instructions for printing the gift cards, which can be redeemed online, via phone, or at the outdoors gear retailer's 56 locations. The browsing experience occurs within a pop-up shopping cart app without requiring users to navigate away from Facebook.