Bubble-gum hues, fairytale gowns, and sleek tuxedos are about to invade the pages of fashion magazines and shop windows at a mall near you. With spring comes prom and bridal party season, so Yorkdale (Toronto, Canada) is dedicating its CONCEPT retail discovery pop-up space to it this month. In addition to featuring five brands there—Dough T.O, Lipcandy, Dyson, Novon, and Shari Gold—the shop will serve as the mall's prom marketing headquarters where students will not only see the latest fashion looks but also get help with putting them together.

Yorkdale's Prom Experience program includes professional styling services at a student hourly rate of C$25 (US$19.30) per person—bookings are made at the concierge desk inside the CONCEPT store.  The mall's marketing team created a Prom Directory that lists the names and phone numbers of retailers offering fashions, accessories, and services for special occasions. Another hook is a contest in which students present their prom-related purchase receipts for a chance to win back their expenses in mall gift cards. Given that most students are tied to their mobile phones 24/7, Yorkdale is giving them an extra incentive to get social. Those who take selfies with their shopping bags and post the pictures online with the #GRWYKD hashtag earn an extra contest ballot.

While the Prom Experience was created to drive sales aggressively until the end of this month, it does have a community relations component.  Yorkdale is accepting donations of gently used clothes, footwear, and accessories, as well as new makeup, on behalf of New Circles Community Services, which runs a prom boutique where local high-school students in need can get outfitted for free.

Personalization is key for marketers in the current Retail Land of Me and this coming Saturday, Cabot Circus will give its shoppers exactly what they want. The Bristol (UK) center will host a free Kustomised Kicks event together with local graffiti artists from the Superdoodle creative production company.

Shoppers will need to book ahead before they line up to have their pair of sneakers hand-painted in whichever design they choose. The artists will set up just outside of the House of Fraser store, ready to work their magic. For customers who don't own any blank-canvas kicks, the center's Office shoe store will be happy to sell them a pair of all-white Converse sneakers at a 20-percent discount.

Spring is around the corner and Macy's is wasting no time in getting its female shoppers motivated to freshen up their wardrobes. Together with its creative agency, BBDO New York, it released The Chase yesterday, a 90-second TV spot that follows six women and highlights the transformative style moment when they come face-to-face with better-dressed versions of themselves. For the big reveal, Macy's turned the spot into a social media event, with an Instagram live hack that Cassandra Jones, its fashion director, co-hosted with Wendy Nguyen, the fashion blogger behind Wendy's Lookbook. Participants were able to submit items they needed help styling, leading them and online viewers with a clear call to action: "Find spring fashion. Find the remarkable you." Just like the spot's accompanying Blondie song says, Macy's is pretty confident that its customers will be successful in their chase, one way or another.

Shopping at a couple of intu malls just got a little easier for the visually impaired. intu Metrocentre in Gateshead and intu Eldon Square in Newcastle have both put their staff through Henshaws’ visual impairment awareness training (VIAT) so that they could better assist visitors with special needs.

According to Robert Cooper, the organization's director of community services, approximately 7,700 people in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne region are living with sight loss, and that number is expected to rise to 9,850 by 2030. That makes the intu initiative that much more valuable.

"I have really enjoyed the experience of having a relaxed wander around the shops with Pauline, who is such a pleasant member of staff. This has given me the opportunity to experience a fun shopping trip without having to rely on family or friends," noted Susan Jones, a training coordinator for Eye Wish Access, who trialed the accompanied shopping program.

"It has been so long since I have been able to enjoy going shopping by myself, as it is actually impossible to navigate this journey without support. It has been a really liberating experience and I’d encourage other people to give it a try. I'll certainly be back!"

intu will launch the service next week and extend it to visitors 18 years and older who are blind or partially sighted. The program covers a two-hour personal shopping experience with a member of the service team and shoppers will be able to book a maximum of two appointments annually.

The shopping trips will be offered on a first come, first served basis and there will be four, two-hour appointments available to book at both shopping centers each month.