Target

Coupons, deals, discounts — however you say it, bargain shopping remains a hot topic. Even with an economy that’s showing signs of recovery, consumers are just too savvy and technologically connected to pay retail prices.

Girl Scout cookies are once again selling in one of the hottest retail formats: pop-up stores. Temporary stores designed to drum up buzz for retailers, they appear for a limited time — say, Girl Scout cookie season — and just as suddenly, disappear again.

Data, data everywhere. No wonder retail marketers are overwhelmed with the volume of data available in today's marketplace. But what to do with it all? With this enormous volume of data comes not only opportunity, but also responsibility. No longer can retailers simply get by on marketing what they want. They must now listen to the voice of the consumer, and market how the consumer wants.

Retailers must answer the call to make mobile shopping easier and more engaging or they risk getting disconnected from the majority of mobile device users. While 89.7 percent of the U.S. population aged 18 to 64 have mobile phones, only 49.1 percent are using their phones to shop, according to Arc Worldwide, the marketing services arm of advertising agency Leo Burnett.

Abercrombie & Fitch has bowed to controversy over a swimsuit deemed inappropriate for young girls by raising the target audience for the garments to 12 and older. Previously, abercrombie kids had been offering a spring line of bikinis with a padded bra that was being marketed to girls as young as 7.

In the latest case of cheap does chic, New York fashion label Proenza Schouler has accused discount retailer Target of copying one of its sought after bag designs. Priced at a mere $34.99, Target’s Mossimo messenger bag bares a strikingly similar resemblance to the Proenza Schouler PS1 satchel which sells for $1,995, and is carried by Kate Beckinsale, Mary-kate Olsen and Nicky Hilton.

For years marketers have cited the success of 2-D barcodes overseas and eagerly waited (and waited) for them to take hold in the U.S. Thanks to prominent endorsements from Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Post Cereals, that day might finally be nearing.

With the recent economic uncertainty, consumers’ purchasing strategies have dramatically changed over the years. Many are turning to e-coupons not only to save money, but to avoid looking for print coupons and the hassle that comes along with them — i.e., getting in your car, driving across town to find what you're looking for, then standing in line to purchase it.

Tax-free shopping is under threat for many online shoppers as states facing widening budget gaps increasingly pressure Amazon and other internet retailers to start collecting sales taxes from their residents. Billions of dollars are at stake as a growing number of states look for ways to generate more revenue without violating a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prohibits a state from forcing businesses to collect sales taxes unless the business has a physical presence, such as a store, in that state.

Wal-Mart, Target and other large retailers are ratcheting up a political campaign to force Amazon to collect sales taxes, sensing opportunity in the budget crises gripping statehouses nationwide. The big-box stores are backing a coalition called the Alliance for Main Street Fairness, which is leading efforts to change sales-tax laws in more than a dozen states including Texas and California.