Target

Wal-Mart Takes on Dollar Stores With New Prices
September 27, 2010

Wal-Mart, the worldโ€™s largest retailer, is adding thousands of items to its shelves, including inexpensive ones, and is asking dollar-store suppliers to create small, under-a-dollar packages for its stores, too. In areas with high unemployment, Wal-Mart is grouping together its less than $1 items in a clear challenge to the dollar stores.

Department Stores Get Creative to Recapture Younger Shoppers
September 17, 2010

The department store industry, coming off its worst year in three decades of market share decline, is mounting an all-out battle for the next generation of shoppers. After years of looking the other way as H&M, Forever 21, Zara and an ever-expanding array of online retailers captured the under-25 market, department stores are pouring money and effort into winning them back.

Restoration Hardware Reinvents Itself With a New Merchandising Strategy
September 16, 2010

Gary Friedman, Restoration Hardware's chairman and co-CEO, says the brand has destroyed the previous iteration of itself, clearing the way to express itself in a never-before-seen fashion. A statement about the relaunch is in a 56-page direct mail piece that went out in late August and is also on the company's redesigned website, which proclaims the retailer to be "reinvented, remodeled, reborn."

Amazon Fights for Easier-to-Open Packaging
September 9, 2010

For nearly two years, Amazon has been trying to get manufacturers to adopt โ€œfrustration-free packagingโ€ that gets rid of plastic cases and air-bubble wrap โ€” major irritants for consumers and one of Amazonโ€™s biggest sources of customer complaints.

Testing, Testing: 5 Web Attributes to Test This Season
September 1, 2010

Sure, you're entrenched in the holiday season by now, making sure your website is up to date with the most current inventory and that every one of your customers is happy and well served. But that doesn't mean it's time to rest on your laurels. In fact, the holiday season is a great time to test new web attributes and programs that may improve your shoppers' experiences, and ultimately bring you more sales.

Augmented Reality Check
September 1, 2010

A hot topic at InterACT was augmented reality (AR), and how brands can use it to achieve success. While we've covered AR before, I have to admit, I'm a bit of a skeptic, especially when it comes to bells and whistles for the sake of bells and whistles. That said, I was impressed by some of the case studies presented at InterACT; specifically, those that were able to tie revenue increases to their AR programs.

Target Launches Customizable Version of its Weekly Ads
August 27, 2010

Target, with 1,743 stores in 49 states, will announce "My TargetWeekly," a fully customizable version of its weekly ad. The ad now appears on Target.com, where it draws more than 1.2 million visitors weekly, and in Sunday newspapers, where it is seen by 100 million consumers each week.