Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Are landlords on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue shooting themselves in the foot by demanding record new rents for the famed shopping address?    The availability rate on Fifth Avenue increased to 15.9% in the third quarter, up from about 10% from a year earlier, according to Cushman & Wakefield Inc., Bloomberg reported.    

Consumer confidence experienced an October surprise of sorts after reaching a nine-year high in September.   The index now stands at 98.6, down from 103.5 last month.  

A majority of self-described security-savvy online consumers are not taking the preventive measures they should be.  

U.S. shoppers love mobile commerce, yet mobile payments still account for just 2% of all transactions.  

American consumers will generate an accelerating 4.1% year-over-year increase in 2016 holiday sales, well exceeding 2015’s tepid 3.6% growth.  

Brands and retailers are not doing a good job in keeping up with consumer expectations regarding mobile.  

Two online brands and an iconic American designer top a list of retail brands that command the most loyalty among consumers.   Amazon, Zappos and Ralph Lauren were the top loyalty leaders in the retail segment in the 20th annual  Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List.  The ranking, which is 100% consumer-driven, examined 72 categories and 635 brands. Rounding out the top five in retail: Sephora and Trader Joe’s.     

The use of cash remains strong among in-store shoppers.   That’s according to a new survey by Cardtronics, in which 89% of consumers report using cash in the past six months to pay for merchandise in a physical store.    Cash was followed by debit cards, used by 74% of consumers in the last six months, and credit cards, used by 66% of consumers. Eighteen percent of consumers reported using store mobile apps to pay for something in the last six months, and 17% used a mobile wallet.