Macy's

Social paid advertising and real-time marketing are changing the way retailers strategize their campaigns. Jennifer Kasper, group vice president of digital, new media and multicultural marketing at Macy's, spoke with eMarketer's Rimma Kats about how the retailer is approaching social media, as well as the key role Pinterest will play in its 2014 efforts.

Add Macy's to the list of retailers kicking off "Black Friday" on Thanksgiving Thursday. Macy's will open the doors at most of its 800 namesake department stores at 8 p.m. on Nov. 28. The company said the shift was voluntary for workers and that the move was "consistent with what many rivals are doing." Traditionally, retailers have waited until Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, to start their end-of-the-year push for sales. U.S. retailers have extended their hours on Black Friday in recent years to get a jump on the holiday season sales.

Macy's is asking workers how early they might be willing to work on Thanksgiving Day, the Consumerist reports. While Macy's said it hasn't released Thanksgiving and Black Friday hours, the consumer blog says it received a tip from an anonymous Macy's employee at an undisclosed store who said the retailer plans to open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The employee said Macy's sent a poll asking whether workers would be willing to work an opening shift beginning at 7:30 p.m. on the holiday.

Macy's sees plenty of value in data-driven marketing and believes consumers should hear more from marketers about the benefits. But that doesn't mean the retailer will be secretly tracking shoppers by their mobile phone signals and linking the data with their transactions and home addresses. Speaking yesterday at the D2 Digital Dialogue conference in Cincinnati, Julie Bernard, the retailer's senior vice president, customer strategy, said marketers should speak up more often and forcefully to defend data use and counter negative media coverage. But she said they also need to show restraint.

L2, a New York University think tank that specializes in retail economics, has released their first-ever ranking of department stores based on digital prowess, and here's a shocker: Macy's has beat out pace-setting digital darling Net-a-Porter. Macy's comes in second on this list, topped only by Nordstrom, while Net-a-Porter is way down the ladder at seventh. Saks, UK-based Marks & Spencer, Neiman Marcus, and Bloomingdale's also rank ahead of of the luxury e-tailer. So, er, how is that possible?

After years of beefing up their e-commerce engines, traditional merchants are now waking up to omnichannel retailing, recognizing that the meat and potatoes of their business is still their existing fleet of physical stores. They're creating ways to bridge the gap between the virtual and in-store experience, introducing purchasing paradigms that are nudging consumers to upend the way they've shopped since time immemorial.

One of the leaders in omnichannel retailing, Macy's continues to set a strong pace in the industry. The retailer will be able to fulfill direct-to-consumer orders from more than 500 of its stores and is working with 50 percent of its suppliers to stock RFID-tagged goods for improved inventory counts. Macy's is also making major investments in associate training to enhance service levels offered to informed, technology-wielding consumers.

Macy's has filed an appeal challenging a judge's ruling that J.C. Penney can sell unbranded Martha Stewart goods in its stores for now — the latest salvo in a legal war between the two retailers over rights to the domestic doyenne's products. Justice Jeffrey Oing in Manhattan state court said on Friday that J.C. Penney could sell certain Martha Stewart-designed goods as long as they don't carry her name. The decision was a reprieve for the troubled retailer which has already had the products manufactured and is storing them in warehouses. 

E-commerce is quickly gaining traction as a quick and affordable entree to China's vast retail market, with U.S. brands Costco and Macy's both reportedly planning big new moves into the space. Their strategy reflects an emerging trend that has big Western chains circumventing the traditional retailing route into China, seeking to avoid the big costs and risks that have led to big losses and retreats for names like Best Buy and Home Depot. But the online strategy also carries its own risks.  

Interbrand's 2013 Best Retail Brands Report, which ranks the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands, as well as the leading store brands from around the world, was released today. Interbrand’s brand valuations are based on the firm’s analysis of the financial performance of a retailer, the role a brand plays in shoppers’ purchasing decisions and the competitive strength of a brand.