JCPenney uses mobile to push customers in store for holiday sale

J. C. Penney Company Inc. is using mobile to help customers beat the rush at its biggest After Christmas sale ever.

The retailer’s stores opened at 5:30 a.m. – the earliest opening on the day after Christmas in company history. For the first time ever, JCPenney offered an After Christmas sale “Wake-Up” call. Customers could visit jcp.com beginning Dec. 23 and sign-up for the “Wake-Up” call to their mobile phone.

“The strategy here is to get customers excited about coming into our stores on the day after Christmas,” said Kate Parkhouse, a spokeswoman for JCPenney, Plano, TX. “The day after Christmas is becoming an increasingly popular shopping event.”

Read more here.

Victoria's Secret is launching a new store. And using mobile to help.

For all those who have not been in a NYC Yellow Cab this year, you may not be aware that practically every single taxi now comes with Taxi-TV, powered by one of three major networks. These networks have looped programming that usually repeats itself during a 20 minute ride and, of course, the screens are full of ads. Recently, we have noticed a rise in SMS call-to-actions.

Just this morning, a Club Texting team member noticed a static banner for none other than Victoria's Secret saying: Sign up for exclusive alerts and offers at VictoriasSecret.com or Text VSNYC to ANGEL. Standard rates apply. Call 877 209 7575 for complete terms and conditions.

So what are you signing up for? UR now on the Victoria's Secret mobile list! Look 4 exclusive offers, event coverage and new product info. Rply STOP 2 optout at any time. Txt HELP for help

We have to admit, it does help pass the time in rush hour traffic.

Midwest retail giant uses mobile to help consumers save

We hear that Midwest retail giant Meijer Super Center has launched an iPhone Web application called Meijer Mealbox, to help consumers save money during the current economic crisis.

Meijera - a Grand Rapids, MI-based retailer that operates 181 supercenters throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky - tapped widget-based advertising network Qponix to develop the Meijer Mealbox web application. Meijer Mealbox helps consumers plan meals, find recipes and save money.

“The big deal is this application allows the shopper to build a meal plan and the planning process helps you organize for when you go to the store,” said Corbin DeRubertis, president of Qponix, Seattle, WA.  “The application is tied to the store’s inventory and sales and actually finds recipes based on ingredients that are on sale.”

Circle K Tests Mobile Marketing

Circle K joined 50 merchants in the Phoenix area in a pilot mobile-marketing program conducted by Visa and JPMorgan Chase & Co, reported the In-Store Marketing Institute. The program, targeted at ages 18 to 34, provides Circle K with the ability to deliver offers and other messages by SMS text. Chase credit and debit cardholders can enroll at online at Chase’s Web site, where they select preferred retailers and offer preferences such as discounts.

Circle K is the largest company-owned convenience store chain in the U.S, and second in overall number of U.S. stores to 7-Eleven.

Unilever Sees Unprecedented Success With Mobile

Unilever, a large holding company of various brands, has announced they will be increasing its ad-spend on mobile campaigns following the unprecedented success of a particular campaign centered around its youth brand Peperami.

The core of this success? A mobile-based site that allows its users to send prank calls to their friends, among other things. 

The site has only been live since September 16th, and in its short life has seen over 24,000 unique visitors.  In the eyes of Unilever this represented a huge success, with it being a relatively new idea for the company.

Read on for more details on this success story.

Lexus Gets Serious About Mobile

Auto companies have slowly been gearing up towards mobile over the past few years, with many seeing huge benefits from their efforts.  We hear that Lexus has finally thrown their hat into the ring, but not without intense research on mobile practices and how it relates to the consumer experience. Lexus is the first and only car company to participate in a consumer research study lab with the sole aim of understanding and implementing the best mobile-based communications for Lexus guests before attempting to create their mobile campaign.

Perhaps this will set a new standard for national brands, one where planning and patience pays off in a big way down the line.