Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

NEW YORK — Many retailers reported solid sales gains for December, but the deep discounts and promotions that shoppers have come to expect cut into profits. A range of retailers, including Target and The Children’s Place, reduced their earnings outlooks. Overall, retail sales rose 3.4% at the 22 retailers tracked by the Thomson Reuters same-store sales index, compared with the 3.3% analyst forecast.

New York City -- Wall Street analysts expect retailers to report a healthy end to the holiday season, fueled by discounts, improved consumer sentiment and such tactics as extended hours and layaways, Reuters reported.

Twenty-two major chains, from Macy's Inc. to Costco Wholesale Corp, are likely to post an aggregate 4.3% increase in December same-store sales according to Thomson Reuters.

By Chris Watland, [email protected]

By this point, most chain stores have embraced digital marketing to reach customers through regular email communications and with a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. And retail already outpaces many other industries in its sophisticated collection of customer purchase and loyalty program data.

New York City -- A report released Wednesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers found that a last-minute shopping surge gave merchants a solid lift during the final week before Christmas.

According to the ICSC-Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index, same-store sales rose 0.9% for the week ended Saturday compared with the previous week. That is also up 3.4% from the week before and up 4.5% over the same period a year ago.

MINNEAPOLIS — While many retailers are scrambling to attract last minute Christmas shoppers, some, including Target, are already looking ahead to Dec. 26.

Target announced that beginning next Monday, customers can save up to 50% off on such items as women’s and kids’ apparel, as well as home and holiday decor, in stores and online at Target.com. Doors will open at Target stores nationwide at 7 a.m. on Monday.

It’s a new year, and with it comes the opportunity for a fresh start for retailers as well as consumers. As in new years past, I’m inundated with a flurry of trend forecasts, surveys and predictions. One of the more interesting ones to cross my desk comes from JWT, New York, one of the world’s biggest marketing communications brands. It is the firm’s seventh annual year-end forecast of trends that will impact consumer behavior going forward.

Yonkers, N.Y. -- The Consumer Reports Holiday Poll released Wednesday found that a quarter of adults in the United States had yet to begin their holiday shopping as of Dec. 19, compared with 17% last year.

Of those who haven't started shopping yet, 54% cited lack of enough money as a reason, 41% still believe they have plenty of time, while 29% are in procrastination mode.

Atlanta -- The SpendTrend report released Wednesday by First Data Corp., which tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations, showed that card spending growth has remained solid through mid December.