Campaign corner
Coca-Cola Christmas commercial. Coca-Cola encourages spreading winter cheer with "I Could Be Santa Claus" by Celeste in the background. From holding doors for strangers to surprising family with presents, small acts of kindness matter during the holidays. A heartwarming family reunion unfolds, and a Coca-Cola truck, driven by a man in a red suit, lights up the snowy night.
Bar tree. In honor of its 120th anniversary, Miller High Life is launching a neon table-top tree inspired by classic dive bar aesthetics, featuring scent bead satchels with sweet tobacco and teakwood fragrances to evoke the distinctive scent of a dive bar.
Retail technology
Shoppable holiday. Walmart's latest marketing campaign, "Add to Heart," blends narrative-driven content with shopping capabilities in a 23-part commercial series. The campaign, running on platforms like TikTok, Roku, and YouTube, tells the story of Jessica, a New York designer, and allows viewers to shop items featured in the episodes, totaling 330 products. With a focus on bridging content and commerce, Walmart aims to enhance its online presence, particularly among younger demographics, and reframe itself as a digital destination beyond its physical stores.
Out-of-stock robots. Stine stores, a regional hardware chain in Louisiana and Mississippi, is employing Badger Technologies' autonomous robots to detect out-of-stock products with over 95% accuracy, reducing out-of-stock items by up to 50%. The robots also enhance price-tag accuracy by more than 97%, freeing up store associates from manual tasks and improving on-shelf product availability.
Time for retail expertise
Holiday selling. Were you encouraged by Black Friday weekend’s traffic? Is online taking over as retail’s holiday-purchase driver? What other trends over the weekend stood out to you? These are the questions that various retail experts answered in one of Retail Wire’s discussions. This is what Mark Ryski mentioned:
“Keep it” return. Do you see more pros than cons in “keep it” return policies by retailers for certain items? How would you structure such a program to limit abuse? Various retail experts shared their opinions regarding these questions in one of Retail Wire’s discussions. Dave Bruno shared his thoughts:
In other news…
Online shopping in 2024. Approximately 42% of the 1,000 U.S. participants in a Bank of America survey express intentions to increase their online spending in the next year, with convenience being the primary motivator. Concerns about being unable to try products before purchase are diminishing. About 64% of respondents turn to Amazon first when making purchases, and 78% of them have a Prime membership. The survey highlights that 29% prioritize low prices, followed by shipping time and costs (21%), selection (21%), and a user-friendly interface (19%) as essential features in online shopping.
Holiday shopping expectations. The 2023 U.S. holiday shipping survey by Blue Yonder reveals that 48% of holiday shoppers are unwilling to pay for expedited shipping, with a higher percentage (64%) among baby boomers. Only 13% are willing to pay between $11 and $20 for expedited shipping. Additionally, 45% would consider alternative methods like buy online pickup in-store (BOPIS) only if the pick-up location is convenient, and 20% are not open to alternative delivery methods. Skepticism about the reliability of home delivery is noted by 48% of respondents, but half believe ordering online by Dec. 15 ensures Christmas delivery. A preference for in-store shopping (38%) is driven by flexible return options, with 35% valuing free in-store returns.
