Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

The retail industry is ramping up its efforts against House Republicans’ proposed border-tax proposal.      The National Retail Federation has launched the next phase of a television and digital ad campaign against the tax, which is included in the House Republican tax reform plan.   The campaign features three small retailers who tell their own stories and convey their fears that the BAT would put them out of business.   

A slump in consumer prices helped to keep retail sales in check in March.   Retail sales in March inched up 0.3% over February, according to the National Retail Federation. (The NRF numbers exclude automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants.)   “Various factors were at play in the first quarter, but we are again seeing a pattern similar to previous years — consumer spending was weak but is expected to pick up as we move through the year,” said NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz.

Shoppers hoping to get some great bargains at the 138 stores J.C. Penney has slated for closure will have to wait a little while longer.   The retailer told CNBC that due to improving traffic and better-than-expected sales at the locations on the closure list it has postponed the liquidation sales and shutterings.   The new closure date for the stores is now July 31, which is about six weeks later than Penney originally planned, the report said.   

Some of the biggest names in retailing and foodservice used experiences to encourage a high percentage buyers to visit at least once last year.   Specifically, Walmart, McDonald’s and Target had more than five out of six U.S. consumers shopping with them in 2016, according to “The Checkout Penetration Index,” from The NPD Group’s Checkout Tracking.   

Athletic brands rule when it comes to teen preferences for apparel and footwear.   That’s according to Piper Jaffrey’s 33rd semi-annual Taking Stock With Teens research survey which details teen spending trends and brand preferences. Nike ranked as the top brand with teens, with a 31% share, up from 21% last year. Another athletic brand, Adidas, however, is the fastest growing brand in the survey across footwear & apparel.  

Amazon is gaining a significantly larger share-of-wallet for everyday household items — and the retailer continues to build momentum.  

Zumiez’s net and same-store sales were on the climb for March.

The teen retailer’s total net sales for the five-week period ended April 1, 2017, increased 4.3% to $71.7 million, compared to $68.8 million for the five-week period ended April 2, 2016.

  When it comes for help in stores, shoppers are increasingly going mobile.   That is one of the findings of a survey by Salsify, a product content management platform for distributed commerce, which revaled that 77%  of shoppers use a mobile device while shopping in store.  This compares to just 35%  of shoppers who opt to speak to a salesperson if they have questions about a product.