Moms love to talk. They’re sharing everything from how to keep your toddler in her new big girl bed until the sun comes up to which brand of dishwasher soap works best. The trick for brands is figuring out how to naturally pop up in these conversations in a positive way.

According to a new study called “The Mom Next Door: How and Why Moms Make Recommendations,” the vast majority of moms are super recommenders. A whopping 71 percent of moms recommend products at least once a month and 50 percent make recommendations daily or weekly. Perhaps most telling, 93 percent of moms say they’re influenced by a thumbs-up from another mom.

But we wondered exactly how a brand can earn this kind of word-of-mouth marketing. What are the moms out there recommending? And what prompts them to sing those brands’ praises? tell me more

If you’ve seen the most recent TV commercials from Macy’s, you might have thought you were watching highlights from a red carpet event. These spots feature A-list stars like Sean “Diddy” Combs, Taylor Swift, Martha Stewart and more. All hanging out in the store with a manager named Harold. A clever voice-over line ties it all back to the retailer: “Watch one star bring all these stars together. That’s the Magic of Macy’s.”

It seems like a winning way for Macy’s to draw more shoppers into its store. After all, isn’t star power one of the easiest ways to generate buzz and drive sales? Not quite so fast. Launching a successful celebrity brand extension requires some serious strategy. Otherwise, even celebrity brands can find themselves tossed into the clearance bin.

Luckily, Macy’s celeb products have it right. They tap two proven strategies for long-term success from our “10 Ways to Extend Your Brand:” tell me more

Things are a little spooky out there right now in retail land. Friends and family have been sending us images of huge Christmas tree displays already up in October and light-up snowmen living on store shelves directly beneath haunted house signage.

It’s Christmas in October, and apparently, Halloween, too. But does mixing these selling seasons cause consumer confusion? Or even worse, resentment? Many stores now start trotting out the Christmas merchandise in September, and with holiday sales accounting for a big chunk of annual revenue, it’s no wonder retailers are hedging their bets. tell me more

Haute brands have gone mass! Consumers no longer need to shop at Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom or Saks Fifth Avenue to come home with a luxury brand. We’ve seen Missoni at Target, DVF at GAP Kids and Vera Wang expand her offerings at Kohl’s. H&M has offered countless high fashion brands at affordable prices: Versace, Marni and Stella McCartney to name a few. And retailers have even more exciting new partnerships on tap this fall and winter (more on that in a minute).

But first, why do these high-end brands and everyday shopping destinations make such good business partners? There are plenty of reasons. tell me more

Just as the TV networks carefully line up fresh shows each fall, there’s always a new crop of celebrities hoping to hit it big with their own product lines. You’ll find celebrity brands fighting it out for elbowroom—and sales—in most lifestyle categories, especially fashion. But we’re noticing some creative offerings in everything from candy to cleaning products, too. tell me more