The Week in Commerce Marketing — Retail, E-commerce and DTC: September 20, 2024 edition

Welcome to The Week in Commerce Marketing - Retail, E-commerce and DTC, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights.

Retailers woo holiday shoppers with early activations and sales events

Retailers are getting a head start on the holiday shopping season - in, yes, September (and October). Among them:

• Anthropologiejust announced the opening of its Holiday House on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Available exclusively to AnthroPerks members - by appointment only through Sept. 22 - the interactive experience allows guests to explore and purchase Anthropologie and Terrainproducts, including home furniture and décor, while consulting with stylists and design experts.

• In addition to hosting Target Circle Week for loyalty members Oct. 6-12, Targetannounced a slew of early holiday deals starting on Monday, including the relaunch of its Deal of the Day program, 50 gifts under $5 in the Bullseye's Playground section, half off all toys priced at $20 or less and 80% of Target's Wondershop holiday items priced at $10 or less.

• Big Lotsjust announced plans to bring back its "Black Friday Fridays," with one-day deals offered every Friday from Oct. 13 through Dec. 6, including up to 50% off décor, gifts and more.

• Best Buyjust announced its plans to host a series of holiday sales events - beginning Sept. 27-29 with its Member Exclusive Sale. The retailer will also host an Apple Trade-Up Event Sept. 30-Oct. 13, during which customers can earn savings toward new Apple tech; a 48-Hour Flash Sale Oct. 8-9; a 3-Day Gaming Event starting Oct. 25; and more.

• Amazonwill host its Prime Big Deal Days Oct. 8-9, offering Prime members access to holiday deals such as up to 40% off winter apparel, as well as savings on electronics and everyday essentials from Amazon Basics, with new deals dropping every five minutes.

• On Thursday, Walmartannounced plans to launch its first Holiday Deals event in October, as well as to resume its inflation-free holiday meal offering. Kicking off for Walmart+ members at midnight on Oct. 8 - and for all other online customers at noon that day - the savings event will include deals on electronics, fashion, toys and more at Walmart.com and on the app. The event will expand to physical stores Oct. 9-13.

Merrell debuts pop-up "Wander Wheel" art exhibit that allows guests to "'hike' endlessly"

Footwearbrand Merrelljust announcedanupcomingimmersive pop-up art installation at Studio 525in New York City that will allowguests to experience "the wonders of nature without leaving the city," per a brand announcement. Open to the public Sept. 27-29, the "Wander Wheel" installationis "a large, interactive sculpture slowly spinning on a static base, transporting visitors to diverse natural environments from around the world in each of the four hemispheres." Guests can slip on a pair of Merrell's Moab Speed 2 and walk the Wander Wheel - the interior of which mimics a hiking trail - where they'llexperience the sights, sounds and smells of nature, from the hills of California to the plains of the Australian Outback.

Stat of the week: 7%

That's the year-over-year increase in online grocery sales in the U.S. in August, for a total of $9.9 billion - marking the third straight month of single-digit sales growth for the online grocery sector - according to the most recent Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey, per Supermarket News. (See more stats in the most recent edition of The Weekly 10.)

More consumer insights:

• "Shoppers want personalization online, in-store and on customer service calls"(Retail Dive)
• "Survey: Return policies have strong impact on purchase decisions"(Chain Store Age)
• "Holiday Fever: Most Consumers Plan To Shop Online This Year"(MediaPost)
• "Online Search Functionality Gets a Low Grade from 42% of Shoppers"(Retail TouchPoints)
• "Retailers and Consumers Split on Views of AI, Study Says"(Women's Wear Daily)
• "Gartner: 32% of holiday shoppers will start before November"(Retail Dive)
• ICYMI:"Placer.ai: Health clinics boost traffic at Kroger banners, H-E-B"(Chain Store Age)

Roku unveils Roku Ads Manager

On Wednesday, Rokuunveiled Roku Ads Manager, a self-service tool for CTV advertising. Highlights of the solution include the ability for Shopify merchants to launch self-service shoppable ads with on-screen customer checkout using their Roku remote, interactive video overlays and more.

Previously:"Paramount's new Ads Manager bring AI-powered TV advertising creative to small businesses," from the July 19 edition of The Week in Generative AI.

More e-commerce innovations:

• "Meta Unveils New Ad Tools to Help Brands Drive Holiday Sales"(Retail TouchPoints)
• "Walmart will now let you 'Shop with Friends' from home"(Fast Company)

Home Chef partners with Dolly Parton and her sisteron new Good Lookin' Cookin' meal kit

DTC meal kit brand Home Chefjust announced a new collaboration with country music icon Dolly Parton and her sister, Rachel Parton George, spotlighting family recipes from the sisters' just-released cookbook, "Good Lookin' Cookin'."The four-week Home Chef x Good Lookin' Cookin' collaboration will include a rotating selection of recipes - from Fried Chicken and Gravy to Sirloin Steak with Blue Cheese Butter - in a variety of formats (the classic Meal Kit, Express Plus and Culinary Collection). Orders are being accepted now through Oct. 18, with meals arriving in a Good Lookin' Cookin' co-branded box. Between now and Oct. 18, Home Chef is giving fans the chance to win one of five signed copies of the "Good Lookin' Cookin'" cookbook and a $150 Home Chef gift card when they comment on the brand's giveaway post on Instagram, tagging someone they love to cook with.

Previously:

• "Home Chef partners with 'PAW Patrol' on family menu collection," from the August 16 edition of this column.
• "Conagra Brands to launch expanded line of retail food items with Dolly Parton," from the January 26 edition of The Week in Consumer Packaged Goods.

More DTC and retail partnerships:

• "The North Face, Comme des Garçons Launch Second Capsule"(Women's Wear Daily)
• "Chubbies lands NFL licensing deal, names 'creative director of football'"(Fashion Dive)
• "West Elm Teams With Christina Ricci On New Collection"(Store Brands)
• "Auntie Anne's, Cinnabon partner with Spirit Halloween for exclusive costumes"(Bake Magazine)
• "E.l.f. Skin teams up with comedian Megan Stalter on satirical skin care-focused campaign"(Drug Store News)
• "Millie Bobby Brown's Florence by Mills Fashion launches at Nordstrom"(Retail Dive)
• "Topco's Crav'n Flavor To Sponsor NASCAR Car In Upcoming Races"(Store Brands)
• "Kenneth Cole Relaunches Women's Sportswear Collection in Partnership With Kasper"(Women's Wear Daily)
• "Christian Siriano to collaborate on bridal collection"(Fashion Dive)

UltaBeauty expands The Joy Project with The Joy Council, led by Deepak Chopra

Ulta Beautyjust announced plans to expand upon its initiative The Joy Project- designed to provide both associates and customers the tools to silence the most significant barriers to joy (i.e., "inner critics and negative self-talk") - per Retail TouchPoints' Nicole Silberstein. The Joy Project will now include The Joy Council, headed by newly named Chief of Joy Deepak Chopra, who will lead a group of wellness experts in developing content and engagements "to help people find, embrace and experience joy in their everyday lives," Silberstein writes, "while underscoring Ulta's mission to make beauty a force for good."

Previously:"Ulta Beauty tests gamified loyalty program GlamXplorer," from the May 17 edition of The Week in Retail.