Beijing-based Alibaba Group disclosed its omni-channel retailing plans for the 2015 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. This year, more than 1,000 retail brands, with 180,000 stores in 330 cities across China, will participate in this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. In Beijing alone, more than 8,000 stores will join the 11.11 festival.
After failing to come to terms with Costco in March for a contract renewal beyond 2016, American Express has inked Sam’s Club for card acceptance as of October1st. The membership warehouse club serves 500,000 small business owners every day and offers tons of opportunities for AmEx despite Sam’s razor thin profit margins.
The latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker finds
more than three in four Americans find re-gifting socially acceptable. Also, the day after Christmas is becoming a more popular day to hit the stores than Black Friday.
ParTech announced that Fogo de Chão recently installed PAR POS terminals. Fogo de Chão (fo-go-de’e-shoun) is an authentic Brazilian Steakhouse with 24 locations in the U.S. and 9 locations in Brazil. Fogo de Chão has selected the PAR EverServ(R) 7000 POS hardware family as the standard POS for all new store openings and replacements or upgrades at existing stores in the U.S. Fogo de Chão initially deployed the EverServ 7000 terminals for its new flagship restaurant in New York, which opened on December 19, 2013. EverServ 7200 terminals are used at the server stations and EverServ 7700 Low Profile terminals are used at the hostess station for seating guests and taking reservations.
Now through June 30, 2014, cardmembers can sign up to earn 5% Cashback Bonus on up to $1,500 in purchases made at home improvement stores, furniture stores and Bed Bath & Beyond®. Cardmembers can sign up simply by logging into their online Account Center or calling 1-800-DISCOVER (347-2683). After making $1,500 in purchases, Discover cardmembers continue to automatically earn their standard Cashback Bonus on all other purchases. Cardmembers can shop online year-round with their Discover card at ShopDiscover.com, Discover’s exclusive online shopping portal featuring more than 200 popular online retailers offering between 5% and 20% Cashback Bonus on purchases.
MoneyGram is once again pairing with Hispanic lifestyle expert Marlene Pratt to present creative gift ideas that bring families closer this Mother’s Day and inviting consumers to create a customizable Mother’s Day card through an app on the company’s Facebook page. MoneyGram is giving its own gift to families who want to share special memories through an interactive custom Facebook photo application available on the company’s Facebook page. Consumers can upload a picture and create a Mother’s Day themed timeline or cover photo that can be customized with decorations and a caption that can be shared via Facebook post or downloaded and shared via email or Twitter. Consumers can also take advantage of creative gift ideas from home and lifestyle expert Pratt, who bases her advice on what she learned from her own Mother’s Day gift-giving experiences.
Fathead officially licensed sports and entertainment graphics launched a Virtual Piggy youth-friendly payment system, now available to customers as a secure online payment option through Fathead.com. With a Virtual Piggy account, Fathead is able to create a safe, convenient shopping experience for children by giving parents the ability to control and monitor their child’s spending account. Under this parentally managed account, kids can freely browse and purchase their favorite Fathead products, while learning financial responsibility at the same time. Customers can create a free Virtual Piggy account by visiting Virtualpiggy.com.
GE Capital Retail Bank and the Thomas Kinkade inked a multi-year agreement to provide a private label credit card program for consumers, for which GE Capital will manage the relationship and account service. The consumer financing program is available at more than 350 participating Thomas Kinkade authorized galleries and approved dealers, offering competitive rates and promotions, including deferred interest payment options on purchases of the artist’s limited edition artwork, open edition pieces and licensed products such as collectibles, home décor and furnishings. GE Capital’s Retail Finance business has provided billions of dollars in consumer financing through major retailers and more than 200,000 small- and mid-sized businesses throughout the United States.
Discover Financial Services and the National Hockey League (NHL) renewed their multi-year sponsorship agreement. With it, Discover is an Official Partner of the NHL in the U.S. and will become title sponsor of the inaugural NHL on NBC broadcast on Thanksgiving Friday, now titled the 2011 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown. Discover and the NHL will introduce a co-branded float titled “Frozen Fall Fun,” which will make its first-ever appearance in this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As part of the partnership, cardmembers will also enjoy opportunities to redeem points for NHL rewards, such as merchandise and tickets.
Telemundo and its mun2 television channel for young bicultural Hispanics in the U.S. have teamed with Western Union to offer Hispanic consumers in the U.S. two co-branded Western Union, Telemundo and mun2 general purpose reloadable MasterCard prepaid cards. Supported with a national integrated campaign to include television, digital, and direct to consumer marketing efforts, the agreement paves the way for these brands to leverage their presence to better serve Hispanic consumers, the fastest growing consumer segment in the U.S. The co-branded MasterCard prepaid cards will offer consumers flexible and convenient options for loading funds, including Western Union Money Transfer ® transactions. Consumers will be able to reload money in-person at more than 46,000 participating Western Union Agent locations in the U.S., through direct deposit of employer or government benefits, or through their bank account online. Cardholders have the ability to use the cards anywhere Debit MasterCard ® is accepted, including online and at ATMs.