Sears and Kmart are offering online layaway. The program lets people shop online or in Sears or Kmart stores and make payments online. On kmart.com, shoppers can browse items and have the option of placing those items on layaway through its online process. Customers also have the option of picking up the items up at a local Kmart store. Kmart says its layaway program has seen double-digit increases in layaway customers and sales in 2008. Kmart's online layaway website can be found here and the Sears layaway site can be found here.
Julia Fitzgerald, Chief Marketing Officer Seasonal & Toys, announced Kmart's Fab 15 toy list with the help of multiple Santas. The list contains Kmart's picks for hottest toys this holiday season. Toys featured on the Kmart Fab 15 list range from $10.99 to $99.99. Kmart says each toy on the list "promotes creativity, role play and a level play that keeps kids engaged - not just for a few minutes - but for months to come."
Here is Kmart's Fab 15 for 2009.
Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo
Bakugan 7-in-1 Maxus Dragnoid
Chixos Design Luxury Loft
Dora Loves Puppy (sold exclusively at Kmart)
Handy Manny's Repair Shop
Holiday Barbie
Laugh & Learn Learning Farm
Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center
Liv Dolls
Moxie Artitude Airbrush Gallery
Nerf n Strike Raider
Paperoni Deluxe Studio
Sesame Street Tickle Hands Elmo
Transformers Bumblebee Helmet
Trio Kings Castle
This is the first year for Kmart's Fab 15 toy list. The new list puts them in competition with the Toys "R" Us 2009 Hot Toy List, which was recently announced.
Martha Stewart recently announced a partnership with Home Depot for a new line of home improvement products. The Home Depot deal replaces a long-term deal that Martha Stewart Living had in palce with Kmart. The Kmart contract comes to an end in January 2010. Martha Stewart told CNBC in an interview that she is glad the deal is ending. She says Kmart's new owernship has allowed her line of product to deteriorated and she is no longer happy working with them.
Martha Stewart said, "The new ownership really has really let our line deteriorate. It's been kind of ripped off, I would say, and really diminished and the quality is really not what I am proud of. Have you been into a Kmart lately? It's not the nicest place to shop.
She also said, "The stores are not what they were. The shopping experience is not what it was. The products are not there that people go in for. And it's not a good situation. And as a designer-supplier, I have been extremely disappointed."
Martha Stewart said she thought the Kmart and Sears together could have become almost as big as Wal-Mart if it had been better managed. Martha Stewart did say they are having a very good experience at Macy's and they hope to have a similar experience with Home Depot in different categories of products. Here's a video clip of Martha Stewart's interview on CNBC. Take a look:
Kmart and Nickelodeon/Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) have announced the launch of the Dora Loves Puppy line of products. The products feature Dora the Explorer and her canine companion Perrito. The product launch follows the storyline of Dora's adoption of her new pet. The Dora Loves Puppy line include apparel, toys, bedding, jewelry and sporting goods. The collection is available exclusively at Kmart stores and kmart.com. You can find some of the products here. There is also an online companion at dorapuppy.com.
The Chicago Sun-Timesreports that Sears Holding Corp is launching a Christmas Club card that can be used at Kmart and Sears stores. The cards has no fees and no expiration date. The card will provide a 3% reward (up to a maximum of $100) on purchases customers make before October 31st. Sears is trying to motive and reward shoppers that buy their holiday gifts and decorations early at Sears and Kmart stores. Sears also launched Christmas early at its bricks-and-mortar stores and online.
Christmas in July: Sears Starts Christmas Very Early
Sears Holdings Corp is starting Christmas very early this year. It's only July and the Chicago Tribunereports that Sears Holdings Corp has set up Christmas decor shops at 372 Sears store. They also have an online boutique up called Christmas Lane at Sears.com and Kmart.com that sells Christmas decor and gifts.
On Sunday, while most of America was recovering from Fourth of July fireworks and cookouts, the Hoffman Estates-based retailer launched an online boutique called Christmas Lane at Sears.com and Kmart.com. It also set up Christmas decor shops at 372 Sears stores, including one at Woodfield mall in Schaumburg.
Sears typically waits until Nov. 1 to unveil its holiday merchandise, said Sears spokeswoman Natalie Norris-Howser. But with the recession putting a crimp in spending, the retailer is hoping to attract holiday shoppers early.
"This is the first year we've done the Christmas Lane event," said Norris-Howser. "We're allowing customers to put these items on layaway and pay over time."
The Sears.com Christmas Lane site can be found here if you want to get a really early jump on things. They are promising free standard shipping on all Christmas Lane mailable orders of $75 or more until 7-11-09.
Internet Retailerreports that Sears and Kmart have launched two communities as standalone websites. They can be found at MySears.com and MyKmart.com.
Though they are linked to the main Sears and Kmart sites, MySears.com and MyKmart.com are separate from the merchants' retail sites. "Our main reason for doing that is that we know from time to time people don’t necessarily want to buy something—they just want to participate in the community," says Rob Harles, Sears' vice president of community.
The communities allow members to write product reviews, post comments on the reviews of others, participate in discussion boards and post ideas for the community to vote on. They can upload photos, and write blog posts as well as exchange private messages with other community members. Users also can create their own profiles on the sites, and Sears hopes to soon add functionality to allow members to import their existing profiles from other social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
The sites certainly won't be able to challenge the leading social networks and Sears probably doesn't expect them to. However, the communities could offer niche discussion on topics relevant to homeowners. The sites also contain lots of reviews organized under niche subjects like dishwashers and power tools. The customer reviews probably these community websites more of a challenge to sites like Amazon.com than to the large social networks like Facebook.
Country Living Partners With Sears, Kmart for Country Living Collection
Country Living magazine is partnering with Kmart and Sears for a line of home furnishings and home decor called the Country Living Collection. The announcement was made in a press release.
The Country Living Collection, a new line of home fashions that includes bedding and bath, tabletop, furniture and home decor, will debut this summer in both Kmart and Sears retail stores across the country. The announcement was made jointly today by Doug Wurl, VP/GMM of Home Fashions at Sears Holdings, and Glen Ellen Brown, vice president, Hearst Brand Development, a unit of Hearst Magazines, which publishes Country Living.
Featuring fresh home decor that redefines "country" and focuses on design, quality and comfort, the Country Living Collection will offer four distinct looks: Modern Countryside, Blue & White, Red & White and Faded Antique. Each will span traditional, classic and modern country sensibilities. Rolling out this August in more than 1,200 Kmart stores and 500 Sears stores nationwide, the product line will be priced accessibly.
"Country Living's readers are passionate about their surroundings and how they entertain," said Editor-in-Chief Sarah Gray Miller. "They value attainable luxury, quality, authenticity and comfort - all of which is reflected in our new home collection."
Hearst's Glen Ellen Brown added: "Our partnership with Kmart and Sears will enable millions of consumers to personally experience the Country Living brand and bring its 'come home to comfort' message into their homes with beautiful, yet accessible, decor options.
The products will be available in August. Price will range from $3.99 for candles to $349 for dining furniture.
Kmart tweeted on deal on its Twitter account last week for free shipping on orders of $99 or more on Kmart.com. It's part of a trend of late where retailers are opening up Twitter accounts and Facebook accounts as well as reaching out to bloggers. Retailer Dailysays in December, Kmart gave several well-known bloggers $500 Kmart gift certificates and asked them to share their shopping experience.
Today on its Twitter page, Kmart offered free shipping on online orders of $99 or more placed on kmart.com with a special promotional code only available to Twitter users. This follows a holiday season promotional campaign Kmart launched in December 2008 where six well-known bloggers were given $500 gift certificates to go on a shopping spree in a Kmart store and then asked to share their experience with their readers.
Kmart.com Tries Easter Egg Concept to Drive Traffic
ABC Action News reports that K-Mart isn't ready to give up on Cyber Monday just yet. They plan special codes for the next couple mondays.
And for the next two Mondays secret offer codes will save you big. On Monday, December 8th, enter the code ILOVEKMART2 and save an extra $5 dollars off a $25 purchase. On December 15th, you can get the same deal when you enter ILOVEKMART3.
To save, enter the codes at checkout. The codes cannot be reused.
The article says K-mart also has hidden ornaments on its website. If you can find one you get an additional discount. Many video games also have hidden features or treasures. These are known as "Easter Eggs" in video games. It's interesting to see retailers embracing the concept and it could work if there are enough of the hidden ornaments to keep shoppers happy. It should increase traffic to kmart.com anyway.
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