Target

Target recently ran a mobile advertising campaign that was executed poorly and not optimized for mobile devices. Since then the retail giant has redeemed itself by mobilizing the campaign and showing that it's never too late to get back on track.

More marketers are beginning to focus on new strategies to drive increased revenue in a changed email environment. The keys to success will be to send less email; leverage new data sources from channels like social media; better design for mobile devices; and extend personalized messaging in email beyond the inbox.

In their ongoing tug-of-war for consumers' grocery carts, Wal-Mart has again beaten Target on prices, according to the latest analysis from Kantar Retail. It won by the widest margin in seven iterations of the survey.

Target announced that by late 2012 it would stop carrying any products that have been sandblasted during the manufacturing process. Target, which operates 1,762 stores, has teamed with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to investigate responsible sourcing solutions.

Visitors to Target's Facebook page will notice a "Seussified" version of the brand's iconic bull's-eye logo tied to a cross-promotional marketing campaign for Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. There's also a tab that promotes group gift-giving. 

Target opened a one-day-only pop-up store in Toronto yesterday for its limited edition collection by designer Jason Wu. The store featured an assortment of Jason Wu products, including a Target-branded tote bag created exclusively for the pop-up shop.

Sam's Club was the top-rated company across all industries and only one of eight organizations with an "excellent" rating in the 2012 Temkin Experience ratings. Five other retailers were in the top 20 positions in the overall rankings: Amazon.com, Target, Walgreens, BJ's Wholesale Club and Lowe's.

Target's new mobile advertising campaign that aims to offer consumers coupons for the company's in-store groceries would have been more successful had it been optimized for mobile. The company is running mobile banner and full-page ads, as well as audio advertisements within Pandora's iPhone application.

One father has apologized to a Target employee after storming into a store near Minneapolis. He complained to a manager that his teen daughter was receiving coupons for cribs and baby clothes. Turns out Target knows his daughter better than he did. She really was pregnant.

Sears Canada announced a revamped pricing strategy, lowering day-to-day prices by an average of up to 30 percent on a wide range of popular items, taking a page from rival Wal-Mart Canada's book. The move comes as Sears Canada faces increasing pressure to boost years of sales declines, part of a strategy from new chief executive Calvin McDonald to compete in a fierce retail market that is girding for the arrival of mass merchant Target next year.