Toys "R" Us

In the latest effort to beat Amazon.com at its game, Target says that for the first time it will match prices that consumers find on identical products at select online competitors this holiday season. Target's CEO Gregg Steinhafel told about 80 reporters at a company media conference Tuesday that the retailers include Amazon, Walmart.com, Bestbuy.com, Toysrus.com and babiesrus.com. Target's bold price match program will run from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16.

Toys"R"Us has launched a new digital entertainment service, Toys"R"Us Movies, which provides families instant access to movies and TV shows for kids. Developed in partnership with digital company Rovi, the service features more than 4,000 titles from leading entertainment companies including 20th Century Fox, Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, Lionsgate/Summit, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

As the tablet wars ratchet up for the holiday season, mass merchants are kicking the competition off the shelf. Wal-Mart is dropping the Amazon Kindle (and all Amazon.com products). That follows Target's spring dismissal of Amazon and its Kindle as the online retailer becomes ever-more competitive. Now, Toys"R"Us, encouraged by the hot-selling children's tablet it sold exclusively last year, is introducing its own branded tablet and ditching Nabi, leaving the next-generation Nabi 2 to be sold by Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart.

All of us that are either in or cover the retail industry for a living have undoubtedly heard the sentiment, "You must adapt your business to meet the needs of today's changing consumers." While I agree with this statement for the most part — consumers today have access to more information on your products and more avenues to buy those products than ever before — the last two words I take issue with: changing consumers. Are we really?

In his opening keynote presentation at the Shop.org Annual Summit in Denver, Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO of Toys"R"Us, stated his case why brick-and-mortar stores still play a vital — and often profitable — role in the retail industry today. While it's true that e-commerce sales are growing at a clip faster than the traditional store model, the fact remains that the vast majority of consumer purchases still occur within the confines of brick-and-mortar stores.

Digital marketing intelligence provider AdGooroo released a new report showing how major retailers such as Target, Toys"R"Us and Victoria's Secret outperformed Amazon.com in paid search engine marketing in specific categories, including children's products, fashion and apparel, and auto parts. Additionally, the report unveils the secrets of success employed by these brands.

Babies"R"Us today announced the launch of a multilevel partnership benefiting families of the United States armed forces in collaboration with Operation Shower, an organization that hosts baby showers for military wives to ease the stress of their husbands’ deployment. Beginning today, Babiesrus.com/OperationShower will serve as an online information portal where visitors can learn how they can support this charitable program and ensure that military moms-to-be, who are often far away from friends and family, receive basic essentials for their newborns. To kick off the partnership, the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund, a public charity affiliated with Toys"R"Us, has donated $100,000 to Operation Shower.

shopkick has announced the success of Black Friday 2, an experimental initiative designed to significantly boost foot traffic to partner retail stores using holiday tactics during normal, nonpeak shopping days throughout the year. 

Getting a jump on other retailers, Toys"R"Us is throwing open its doors at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving night. The toy retailer said it would issue its Thanksgiving weekend circular on Nov. 24, offering more than 100 deals on 28 pages in newspapers across the country.

Toys"R"Us is making its annual holiday print catalog digitally available via email, Facebook and the retailer's website. The print book also features QR codes that can be scanned for additional product information.