Athleta

In a session during next week's Retail Marketing Virtual (RMV) Conference & Expo, a panel of catalog experts will discuss the rebirth of the channel as well as how their brands are incorporating catalogs into an omnichannel marketing mix. Brian Huck, president and COO of Eastwood; Jim Garlow, director of marketing operations at CDW; and Kim Hansen, senior vice president of marketing and e-commerce at Winston Brands (parent company of Collections Etc.) are going to share how catalogs can still be used effectively — i.e., profitably — in today's digital world as well as what the future entails for print as a marketing vehicle.

Streamlining the path to purchase and checkout process has been one of the key ways that e-tailers have been able to improve their customers’ online shopping experiences and drive conversions. Mobile consumers have come to expect the fastest, most seamless checkout experiences possible. They don't want to type their credit card numbers or shipping addresses into a small screen every time they shop a new site. They also never want to worry about the security of their data, which high-profile breaches at major retailers routinely call into question. New alternate payment options promise to accelerate this process, and merchants should take a hard look at implementing them for several reasons.

Brick-and-mortar stores are a fundamental component to an omnichannel retail brand's success. While big-box retailers are making moves to scale back their physical footprint, I don't think that means retailers should be rushing back to e-commerce-only models. Many "online only" retailers have moved offline to not only offer an extension of their online storefront, but also create a better customer experience.

Gap's pay pledge has gotten the attention of job seekers. After announcing plans in February to increase hourly wages to $10 by 2015, employment applications at the Gap and Old Navy chains have surged by at least 10 percent from a year earlier, the San Francisco-based company said. The clothing seller has seen applications increase across all of its brands — including Banana Republic and Athleta — though the effect has been especially striking at the lower-end Old Navy chain, where the number of job seekers had been declining. 

Gap's Athleta athletic apparel line for women plans to open stores in Chicago, Boston, Houston and Denver in 2012, Scott Key, senior vice president and general manager, said in a telephone interview.

Athleta is kicking off the new year with an inaugural tagline and its first national campaign, "Power to the She." The Gap-owned athletic brand partnered with Peterson Milla Hooks to create the tagline and campaign, which will launch this week.

As a mom, receipts are just one more thing for me to jam in my wallet and lose at the exact moment I need it. That’s why I was excited to sit down with NPR to talk about the new e-receipts program at our stores - Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta. Now, time crunched customers, like myself, no longer have to worry about keeping their receipts when shopping our brands. Rather, shoppers can get their receipts e-mailed directly to them. For me, this means one less receipt to keep track of. No more digging through an endless

Two Athleta stores will open this week in Manhattan. The openings mark the women’s active wear brand’s entry into the East Coast market and support Athleta’s plan to open up to 50 stores by 2013.

Athleta, a sportswear brand that Gap purchased in 2008, is planning to open eight to 10 more brick-and-mortar stores by year's end and 50 locations by 2013 to "grow the business and provide what women want."

Already sold online, Athleta — owned by Gap Inc. — will open a 2,424-square-foot test store at Strawberry Village Center in Mill Valley, Calif., later this month, according to the company.