Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

J.C. Penney is often associated with an older shopper demographic. But its comeback is being fueled, at least partially, by a surprising group.    Millennial moms now account for 45% of Penney's revenue, CNBC reported, and the group is also driving much of the growth in the company's sales and customer count.   

Beauty stores are hot — and shoppers around the globe can’t seem to get enough of them.     With hundreds of new door openings during 2015-2016, boutique beauty stores remain on a high growth trajectory, according to an upcoming study from market intelligence and research firm Kline.   

It’s a rough time for many teen apparel retailers and the holiday season may not bring much relief.   American Eagle Outfitters Inc. on Wednesday issued a weaker than expected forecast for the fourth quarter as its CEO cited a “tough” retail environment. Its warnings issues similar statements from the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap.    

Cart abandonment is a very real problem during the holiday season, but mobile users are giving up on orders most often.   These details were revealed in an infographic from Barilliance that detailed shopping behavior among 50 million consumers between Nov. 25 and Nov. 28.   

Move over Cyber Monday, Cyber Week is the new buzz term.    Cyber Week, comprised of Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 23 through Cyber Monday, Nov. 28, is attracting more shoppers as they “grow more and more comfortable shopping on their phones and tablets, opening up the timetable for brands to reach them during the holiday shopping season," said Tony Zito, CEO, Rakuten Marketing.  

Wallets are definitely getting lighter this holiday season, especially as more shoppers use mobile wallets.   Nearly one quarter of consumers (24.2%) currently use mobile wallets, and 48.5% plan to make a gift purchase with their digital wallet this holiday season. Further, more than two thirds (69.6%) of wallet users indicated they would use their mobile wallets even more if more merchants allowed them to pay that way.  

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.  

Sales on Cyber Monday, Nov. 28, are on track to rise 9.4% to $3.36 billion, according to Adobe Digital Insights.      Industry experts noted that while Cyber Monday is traditionally the biggest online shopping day of the year, it may be losing some of its luster in the wake of the most sucessful online Black Friday to date.  This year, online sales totaled $3.3 billion the day after Thanksgiving.