Content about Communication

Mountain View, Calif. -- Best Buy tops a list of the most effective back-to-school advertisers, according to Ace Metrix, which provides television and video analytics. An ad promoting free kids’ haircuts at J.C. Penney also was a top perfomer.

Armonk, N.Y. -- Hypermarket chain Real, part of Metro Group, worked with IBM to launch a new electronic coupon system throughout its 320 German stores. This first-of-a-kind digital coupon system, developed with IBM Research scientists, enables consumers to use their mobile phones to find and redeem e-coupons as they shop in stores. It delivers a convenient and personalized service to shoppers, even if they left their paper coupons at home.

Austin, Texas -- Isis, the mobile commerce joint venture created by AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless,  announced that Aeropostale, Champs Sports, Dillard’s, Foot Locker, Jamba Juice and Macy’s are among the first national merchants to join with Isis in advancing mobile commerce. The company also announced the first of its local merchant partners across Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City.

Sioux Falls, S.D. -- Verizon Wireless services retailer Z Wireless, which operates 12 stores throughout Kansas, on Monday announced the acquisition of T2 Wireless, another Verizon retailer which operates more than a hundred stores in the Great Plains.

Atlantic Street Capital, a private equity firm investing in the lower middle market, acquired Z Wireless in 2011.

New York City -- Seamless customer experience, empowered consumers, mobile commerce and social shopping were among the buzzwords at the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo in New York City. Highlights of the show, which set new records for attendance and featured a keynote address by a former president, are featured in Chain Store Age’s NRF BIG Show Wrap-Up report.

Click here to download the report.
 

New York City -- Former president Bill Clinton delivered a keynote address entitled “Embracing Our Common Humanity” to an overflow crowd Monday morning at the National Retail Federation’s 101st Annual Convention & Expo in New York.

In his speech, Clinton spoke about the inequality, instability and the unsustainable way of life which makes up the world today, and said there remains a strong connection between social opportunity and economic opportunity.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced that shoppers at more than 65 of its stores across the Bay Area can now use Google Wallet to pay with a single tap of your phone.

Google Wallet supports most Citi PayPass eligible MasterCard credit cards and the Google Prepaid Card.
 

Chicago -- Commercial real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle will complete the rebrand, design and build-out of retail locations for mobile communications provider NII Holdings for its licensed Nextel brand in Latin America as part of a turnkey brand implementation strategy.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN will introduce a new way for consumers to shop with their television when it debuts Quick Response codes live on HSN HD during its bi-annual “Innovation Weekend” event, which runs Oct. 7 to Oct. 10. It will be the first ever retailer to use QR codes on-air.

T-Mobile is rolling out a new design to nearly 400 stores across the country (see related story). The new format, which the company adopted from parent company Deutsche Telekom AG, has a streamlined, ultra-modern look, and includes a variety of service options, from standing counters on the sales floor for quick transactions to more private individual service desks where customers can meet with sales associates.

Twitter and Facebook aren’t just for consumer networking anymore. 


With more and more retailers and shopping centers jumping on the social media bandwagon, Chain Store Age and Cleveland-based shopping center developer Forest City Enterprises surveyed CSA’s readership to find out where retailers are trending in terms of social media engagement and communication tools.


Columbus, Ohio -- Big Red Rooster, a design and brand experience firm, is expanding its marketing communications and branding services through the incorporation of Integrate, Moorehead Design and The Imaginati, effective Sept. 1.

"Integrate, Moorehead Design and The Imaginati's marketing communications, branding and advertising industry expertise will extend Big Red Rooster's breadth of services, allowing us to better assist our clients and solve problems along every step of the customer journey," CEO Martin Beck said.