Target

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."

For nearly two years, Amazon has been trying to get manufacturers to adopt “frustration-free packaging” that gets rid of plastic cases and air-bubble wrap — major irritants for consumers and one of Amazon’s biggest sources of customer complaints.

Among uneven retail numbers this year exists a bright spot that has been growing for years, and is leading companies to overhaul their traditional business models: the online retail market.

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.

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, 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.

As the back-to-school shopping season winds down, retailers still have the opportunity to engage consumers by helping them make smart, informed and value-driven choices.

Target has come up with a promising comeback plan. Two bold initiatives now under way — rolling out fresh groceries in more of its stores and, starting this fall, offering 5 percent discounts on nearly all purchases made with Target REDcards — should help a lot.

The second half of the year is off to a slow start for retailers, who reported Thursday that sales at stores open at least a year were weaker than expected in July, increasing 2.9 percent from July of last year, according to a tally by Thomson Reuters.

Walgreen's, Canadian Tire, J.C. Penney, Save-A-Lot, Sports Authority, Staples and True Value are among the brands incorporating the web version of their weekly newspaper circulars into their Facebook pages.