Loyalty Marketing

Boston – A vast majority of shoppers say meaning is the most important factor in choosing a holiday gift to purchase. According to a new survey from online marketplace CustomMade, more than 90% of buyers surveyed said that the most important factor in choosing a gift this holiday season was its meaning to the recipient, while only 18% of respondents found an item’s low price to be highly important to their purchase decision.

Chesapeake, Va. -- Dollar Tree Inc. reported that its net income in the third quarter fell 19%, impacted by a one -time gain a year related to selling its stake in the Ollie's Holdings chain. The company forecast results for the fourth quarter below Street expectations.

The company posted earnings of $125.4 million for the period ended Nov. 2, down from $155.4 million a year ago.

Revenue rose 9.5% to $1.88 billion. Analysts expected revenue of $1.91 billion.

Same-store sales were up 3%.

Add Target to the list of retailers whose weak third quarter sales performance highlighted troubling spending behaviors that threaten to undermine its holiday sales performance.

The company reported disappointing third quarter sales and profits Thursday morning and then stated the obvious that shoppers will price sensitive during an intensely competitive holiday season. The company said same store sales increased 0.9%, slightly less than the company’s forecast provided on August 21 which called for an increase of 1% to 2%.

New York -- MasterCard Advisor’s latest MasterCard Spending Pulse survey found that there are some product categories that won’t see the biggest spending uptick on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The monthly SpendingPulse report anticipates that the biggest shopping day of the season for jewelry and luxury retailers will be Dec. 21 – the last Saturday before Christmas, which is becoming commonly known as “Super Saturday.”

Oklahoma City -- Seventy-four percent of shoppers plan to give one or more gift cards this holiday season, and nearly 30%  planned on giving five or more gift cards, according to a study by the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA). The results show that gift cards drive store traffic, with 78% of consumers planning to spend their cards at the retailer's brick-and-mortar location

The Holiday Gift Card Trend Tracker Survey finds that the number of gift cards consumers plan to purchase as gifts this year increased by 71%.

Los Angeles -- Women are more responsive to mobile alerts detailing discounts and more likely than men to shop in-store to save on shipping costs, according to recent data from fashion shopping app Snapette, a business unit of PriceGrabber. The survey revealed that mobile ad spend grew by 81% this year, with women aged 25-34 driving the highest click through and conversation rates.

Chicago -- Almost half of Americans (46%) report they will spend less on the holidays than last year, with those living in the South more likely than any other region to say they plan to spend less this year at 55%.

An online survey conducted in October 2013 among 2,014 Americans ages 18 and older by Harris Interactive on behalf of online lender CashNetUSA also shows that only 8% of Americans indicate they plan to spend more on the holidays this year than last year and 37% indicated they would spend the same as last year.  

Denver -- Thirty percent of shoppers say the ease, speed, and low prices offered online make it a clear solution for the value and time-saving shopping experience they seek. An ongoing shopper behavior study from The Integer Group and M/A/R/C also shows that although mass merchants remain a popular holiday shopping destination, a leading 54% of shoppers say they will take advantage of free shipping deals that e-retailers can offer.