Marketing

According to research, 50 percent of retailers and almost as many manufacturers (48 percent) utilize rebate programs as part of their customer loyalty and promotions mix.

Despite an explosion in consumer conversation technology, Americans have cut back substantially since 2008 on the opinions they share by word-of-mouth about companies and their offerings. 

New York magazine is about to launch a weekly deals e-newsletter and online adjunct, but instead of matching offers play to advertisers, it will aggregate “the best of the best” of other e-commerce sites’ picks.

E-commerce video has been a fast growing feature on online retail sites over the past year. Retailers are quickly finding that adding product video to their sites increases conversions, but e-commerce video is still maturing as they continue to discover best practices.

When Emily McNish shopped for jewelry online, she was overwhelmed by the options while searching for “gold necklace” on e-commerce sites or Google. Then she found a website called JewelMint that she lets shop for her.

A J.Crew ad that shows a top designer painting her young son’s toenails neon pink has some parents and doctors seeing red. The image appeared in a feature called "Saturday With Jenna," which was emailed to customers last week and highlights a few of J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons’ favorite products.

It may be an exaggeration that the Gap has had no outstanding marketing since the 1990s. The company has been struggling for years to figure out how to attract younger consumers as well as win back those who have stopped shopping there.

Overstock.com has long opposed state laws designed to force out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax merely for using in-state ad services. The company has mounted court challenges, citing Supreme Court decisions rendering these laws unconstitutional. It also has cut ties with local advertisers in all four states passing these laws.

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.

The cross-channel retail industry is at a crossroads. For starters, due to the economic downturn, the past couple of years have been difficult for the retail sector. But that's changing. Retailers are starting to see signs of life and are breathing a sigh of relief. At press time, for example, it was announced that February retail sales increased 0.6 percent over January and 4.2 percent year-over-year, according to the National Retail Federation.