Contentsquare Survey Says Half of Marketers Feel Ill-Prepared For Holiday Season
Although sales season is highlighted by retailers as the biggest revenue driver of the year, 50% of marketers say they don’t feel prepared for sales season and Black Friday, which is just 11 weeks away. Sales season pressure is already ‘stressing out’ 37% of marketers, according to a recent survey by leading digital experience analytics company, Contentsquare.
Contentsquare’s latest Sale Season report asked 300 retail marketers across the UK, US and France about plans, concerns, frustrations, and the lasting impact of the upcoming holiday season. Overwhelmingly, data shows that marketers are under increased pressure to maximize revenue but feel ill-prepared, and are generally frustrated with the technology that’s meant to help them be more successful.
Williams-Sonoma Launches Key Rewards Credit Card Program
Williams-Sonoma announced the launch of The Key Rewards Credit Card Program with Capital One that will reward cardmembers on purchases made at Williams Sonoma, Inc. brands and everywhere the card is accepted. The new cards are designed to enhance and improve upon Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s best-in-class rewards program, The Key Rewards.
With The Key Rewards Credit Card Program, cardmembers can earn rewards on purchases across Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brands including Williams Sonoma, Williams Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, Mark & Graham and West Elm - both online and in-store - for a simplified cross-brand shopping experience. The Visa card also rewards members with best-in-class rewards on grocery and dining.
California Pizza Kitchen’s New Take & Bake Pizza Offer
With guests eating at home more regularly, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), creator of California-style pizza, is giving everyone an opportunity to enjoy its premium take-home pizza and baking experience right in their home kitchens with a special deal. Beginning on September 14, diners will be able to take home their favorite CPK Take & Bake pizza for just $8 with the purchase of any entree when dining in, a great value to try out what CPK believes is the best tasting take home pizza on the market.
“Our guests want the same high quality California inspired food they’d expect at one of our restaurants when they take home CPK, and Take & Bake delivers,” said Jim Hyatt, CEO of California Pizza Kitchen. “We think we’ve got the world’s best tasting take home pizza and we’re excited to share it with our guests through our new Two Meal Deal promotional offer.”
Dollar General Mapping Out Health-Focused Customer Experience
Inexpensive household items and groceries aren't the only store commodities Dollar General hopes to sell customers in the near future. The bargain-budget retailer is getting ready to provide healthcare services and products given a large number of its stores are situated in what the CEO terms "health deserts," according to a CNBC report.
Dollar General chief Todd Vasos said more than half, 65%, of locations are in locales where customers must drive long distances in order to get medical attention and hopes his stores can change that scenario.
"While it's in its infancy stages, we really have an opportunity to grow that health-care side of the business — not only products in the store, but services," he said at a virtual conference hosted by Barclays, according to the CNBC report.
Why Grocery Stores Are Testing Drive-Thru Lanes
As curbside pickup matures, grocery stores are set to experiment with adding drive-thru lanes to speed up the process. According to a Progressive Grocer report last week, Amazon is adding a drive-thru lane to one of its under-construction Amazon Fresh locations in Florida. Yet Amazon Fresh isn’t the only grocery chain to eye drive-thru as a possible way to speed up grocery pickup orders.
Earlier this year, Midwest grocery chain Hy-Vee announced its intention to open drive-thru lanes previously reserved for pharmaceuticals to grocery orders. Starting last year, as lockdowns kicked in, Walgreens also opened up some of its pharmacy drive-thru lanes to allow for grocery orders — a way to keep people coming to Walgreens for groceries without them needing to step inside a store. And some small chains, like the franchise Farm Stores, have for years been pushing a grocery store concept centered around drive-thru. (Tesco in the U.K. also tested this a decade ago.)