Target

Target launched a free service on Wednesday that lets shoppers set up recurring deliveries of bulky baby goods, a move that mimics Amazon.com and is aimed at attracting more moms. Target has a battle ahead since it's not the first to offer such delivery, and for now is only selling 150 items such as diapers, baby wipes and formula. "There are certainly other options in the marketplace and it's one that they expect Target to have," Casey Carl, Target's president of multichannel, said in an interview.

Target's Senior Vice President of E-Commerce and Mobile Jason Goldberg shares why the brand welcomes and embraces showrooming. "As we start building a true multichannel existence - where Target is a part of our guest's life whether it's on her mobile phone, on her desktop, in the store or on her mobile phone while in…

In the final part of this two-part series on the “20-Plus Things to Watch in Retail” section of JWT’s Retail Rebooted report, I discuss

Less than a year after debuting Facebook Gifts, the social network has announced it will shut down its physical gift service this week. Fast Company reports the service will now offer only digital gifts to users. "The social network initially introduced Facebook Gifts as a way for users to send their friends both physical and…

Target added another brick to its virtual store. The big-box retailer on Tuesday agreed to buy the online beauty products portal DermStore.com for an undisclosed amount. It's the second acquisition Target's made this year to build up its e-commerce presence. In March, Target said it was buying Chefs Catalog, as well as some Cooking.com assets, to bolster its housewares business. And like those cooking purchases, DermStore won't move the needle regarding Target's 2013 results. Frankly, it isn't clear when they might will considering

shopkick, the iOS and Android app that lets users search for products, find out where they're sold, and then automatically get checked in at retail locations for discounts to buy them in-store, is making another move that widens its remit beyond simply driving more bricks-and-mortar business. The startup is launching in-app purchases, starting with 30 major stores that were already a part of shopkick's product aggregation platform, including Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Old Navy and Anthropologie.

Like real estate, retail has always been about location, location, location. But as the demographics of the American population continue to shift, retailers have placed more emphasis on targeting specific ethnic groups based on their location and spending patterns. As such, they must rely on advanced micro-geographic technology to get better insight into the prominent ethnicities of specific neighborhoods (both current and future projections) that they're targeting for stores nationwide. Having a better understanding of in-store consumers helps drive online purchases as well.

Three former Target employees are suing the nation's second-largest discount chain for discrimination and retaliation, citing alleged racial slurs from managers and a training document that included stereotypical portrayals of Hispanics. The lawsuit, filed recently in Northern California's Yolo County, says that workers who complained about the conditions at a distribution center in Woodland were fired. The complaint alleges that white managers regularly used racial epithets when speaking with Hispanic workers.

The annual back-to-college marketing blitz will be kicked off on Monday by Target with a reality-themed digital campaign that lets online shoppers interact with YouTube personalities who are spending four days in dorm rooms filled with Target merchandise. It's Target's idea for something original this year to capture the rising amount of money parents and students are spending as they head off to college. 

In advance of next Thursday's Retail Marketing Virtual Conference & Expo, I took the opportunity to interview one of the show's speakers, Richard Sexton, the founder and president of Carolina Rustica, an omnichannel retailer of high-end furniture and lighting. (Richard is also a member of Retail Online Integration's Editorial Advisory Board.) Richard will be hosting the "Showrooming: Your Secret Weapon for In-Store Sales" session. Here's a sneak peek into some of the issues that Richard will be addressing during the half-hour session: