Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Target Corp. is tapping into its consumer base, including kids, to stay on an upward trajectory.

The people have spoken – and they like limits on debit card swipe fees the way they are.  

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly welcoming a ruling striking down the 2012 settlement of a class action lawsuit over Visa and MasterCard’s credit card swipe fees.   The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York overturns a December 2013 approval of the settlement by U.S. District Court Judge John Gleeson.  

Parents are increasing their back-to-school budgets, although overall spending is stagnant compared to recent years.   According to a new survey of 1,830 U.S. parents of elementary through college students by Mintel, 52% of respondents plan to spend more on back-to-school (BTS) shopping than in 2015. Only 4% plan to spend less, with 44% planning to spend the same. However, overall planned BTS spending dropped to $68 billion in 2015 after ranging from $73 - $76 billion annually from 2010-2014.  

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” has been the theme song of U.S. consumers for the past two years, but they may need to look for a new anthem.  

The demise of the American mall is greatly exaggerated, held Sandler O’Neill analyst Alexander Goldfarb during a discussion of Brexit on CNBC.   “Dead mall stories are great, but when it comes time to drive earnings cash flow in stocks, that’s where those big powerhouse malls show through,” Goldfarb said. “For the global investor looking for safety and security, [it’s] U.S. real estate.”  

There are four main channels consumers use to initiate an online purchase, and each one results in a different experience.  

It’s been more than a year, but consumers still are not rushing to use Amazon Dash buttons.   New analysis of e-receipts from a daily panel of more than 4 million online shoppers from digital commerce research firm Slice Intelligence shows that fewer than 50% of people who bought a Dash button have actually made an order.  

Hispanic shoppers enjoy grocery shopping significantly more than the average U.S. consumer, in part, because they consider the experience a social endeavor, according to a new study from Acosta Sales & Marketing and Univision, “The Why? Behind the Buy U.S. Hispanic Shopper Study.”  

If you want to ferret out the hottest new concepts in retailing, head to the coolest streets in the city, not the suburban mall. So states a new report from Cushman and Wakefield, which rated the 100 hippest and edgiest neighborhoods in America based on assessments from its brokers, appraisers, and property managers nationwide.