Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Everyone’s trying to figure out what drives consumers to purchase. But to understand how they shop, you need to know what makes them tick.   Alliance Data’s Analytics and Insights Institute conducted a study with more than 2,400 respondents to better understand consumer buying habits and expectations. These insights, cross-referenced with results from our "Understanding Customer Loyalty" study, confirmed that consumer buying habits track closely with life stage and each generation’s cultural identity.

Shopping for groceries online has a long way to go before it catches on with the vast majority of U.S. consumers.   Nine percent of U.S. adults report that their household shop online for groceries at least once a month, including 4% who do it at least weekly, according to Gallup's annual Consumption Habits survey. By contrast, almost all Americans say someone in their family shops for groceries in person at least once a month, with 83% going at least once a week.  

Based on the momentum of early back to school shoppers, Amazon is on pace to hit a record 80% sales growth for the season.    The online giant's school supplies sales have grown by 35% year-over-year in the first two weeks of the back-to-school shopping season, according to One Click Retail. Early back-to-school shopping only accounted for 9% of sales in 2016.  

The retail industry is actually in better shape than some of today's headlines may lead folks to believe.    "Distressed [retail] names are growing, but still a small part of our rated universe," Moody's analyst Christina Boni told CNBC. "The broader industry remains fundamentally healthy."   Dollar stores, home-improvement chains, convenience stores and auto-parts retailers are among the leaders of the pack, according to the report.   

The retail industry lost jobs in July.   Retail industry employment declined slightly in July, decreasing 1,700 jobs from June, according to the National Retail Federation. On a three-month average, retail jobs have decreased by 4,200 jobs as calculated by NRF. (The numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.) On a positive note, the economy overall saw gains of 209,000 jobs in July, exceeding growth expectations for the month.  

For the third straight year, L.L.Bean has beat out Amazon in a customer service ranking.   The outdoor outfitter came out on top in Prosper Insights & Analytics’ annual review of service excellence among retailers, with Amazon a close second. Rounding out the top five; Lands’ End, Fingerhut, and Kohl’s.  

There is an endless list of adjectives to describe the first six-months of the Trump administration. But one modifier is both accurate and acceptable — and that word is unpredictable.   For context, the first six months of the Obama and Bush administrations were fairly predictable. Both embarked on a legislative agenda that looked and felt a lot like their campaign platforms and while the legislative process for both was rocky, we knew what we were in for. Not so much this time around.  

The most digitally savvy generation to date has a soft side for physical stores.    Despite being digital natives, 57% of Generation Z say they prefer to shop in-store rather than online, according to a report from CrowdTwist, a provider of multichannel loyalty and engagement solutions.