Attitudes: Retailers

When it comes to customer satisfaction surveys, a convenience store is at the top of the class.    That’s according to a study by Interaction Metrics which finds that retailers are wasting customers’ time — and their own — by conducting critically flawed satisfaction surveys.  

More Amazon Prime shoppers skipped the Black Friday hype this weekend than ever before.   Only 59% of Prime members ended up shopping in-store on Black Friday, down from 65% last year. This drop represented a 9.2% year-over-year decline.   This message was delivered in a survey conducted by InfoScout. The study, which was conducted the day after Black Friday, tapped 2,000 shoppers.  

Want to get in the holiday spirit? Visit a store.    The overwhelming majority (75%) of Americans believe shopping in a store is one of the best ways to get in the holiday spirit, while 58% say that online shopping takes some of the fun out of holiday shopping, according to new research by Citi Retail Services.  

Omnichannel adoption is a prerequisite to remain relevant in today’s retail world. Yet, many retailers are still missing the mark.   That is the message delivered in “Five Insights into the Omnichannel Landscape,” a benchmark report from eTail East and WBR Digital.  The study reveals progress among multiple retail sectors, including specialty retail, apparel, and high-end fashion apparel, among others.  

Because of the tone and tenor of the presidential campaign, lots of folks might be surprised to learn there are many other significant races going on across the country. These so-called “down-ballot” elections for governors’ offices, U.S. House and Senate seats, state legislatures and other offices may hold the real clues for what the next four years entail for employers, no matter who wins the White House. Believe it or not, there are substantive candidates actually discussing substantive kitchen table issues that impact families and communities.

Chain Store Age is sponsoring a webinar that will reveal new market research from the International Institute for Analytics. Learn about IIA’s retail industry analytics maturity index and the characteristics of the highest-performers—and see how your company measures up.     “Competing on analytics” is no longer a mystery. Find out how your company can get with the program.  

Inefficient staffing processes and lack of adequate workforce engagement tools are causing retailers to leave money on the table.   That’s according to new survey by Workjam, which found that only 17% of retail managers feel their stores’ hourly associates are very motivated and engaged. As a result, 47% of the managers say at least 5% of their staff quit in an average three-month period.  

Walmart is upping some managers’ salaries in anticipation of the Department of Labor’s new overtime rule, scheduled to take effect Dec. 1, 2016.     The retailer, the nation’s private employer, raised salaries for entry-level managers from $45,000 to $48,500 annually, Reuters reported, with the increase going into effect in September. Under the new rule, employers are required to pay overtime to salaried workers earning less than $47,500 a year. The current threshold is $23,660 a year.