Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

New York -- Retailers with stores in Denver, San Antonio, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and Dallas might see some strong sales in the months ahead based on a new report, which identifies those cities as the nation’s hottest housing market.

Retailers with a presence in Denver, San Antonio, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and Dallas should expect strong sales in the months ahead based on a new report which identifies those cities as the nation’s hottest housing market.

New York – Digital purchasing has not displaced paper money, and digital discounts have apparently not yet displaced paper coupons. Seventy percent of consumer packaged goods coupon users still use print-based coupons such as those in free standing inserts (FSI), according to a study from GfK Custom Research and News America Marketing. 

New York -- Teens directly command a whopping $75 billion of discretionary spending, but their wallets continue to shift from fashion and other “possession-based” categories to “shareworthy” experiences such as events and dining out. Those are among the findings of a study conducted by investment bank and asset management firm Piper Jaffrey.

Portland, Ore. – Opt-in rates among consumers for push notifications from retail apps are on the decline. A new study from Urban Airship shows that average opt-in rates for retail apps fell to 37% in 2014, compared to 46% in 2013.

In 2014, retail apps doubled their notification send volume on the key shopping days of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and consumer response rates also doubled, despite the majority of those notifications being general sales promotions sent to all users.

Seattle – Nordstrom came out on top in a study that ranked the social media performance of department stores by digital marketing analytics company Rival IQ. The Rival Results Index (RRI) for High-end Department Stores scored 12 department stores based on their social media performance during first quarter 2015. Macy’s followed Nordstrom in the overall rankings, with Harrods (London), Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman rounding out the top five.

New York -- Toms and Whole Foods Market grabbed the top spots in a survey of the most socially responsible companies by marketing consultancy Good Must Grow. Rounding out the top five: Microsoft, Starbucks and the Red Cross.

The survey asked consumers to name one company or organization that is socially responsible. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents said they were familiar with the term “socially responsible,” and of those, 77% said it was an important factor in their shopping behaviors.

Alexandria, Va. - A majority of Americans say they are optimistic about the economy and low gas prices are driving the optimism. Overall, survey results released by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) shows that 52% of Americans are optimistic about the economy, an eight-point jump from March.

Aspiring musicians with big dreams but no way to pay for them now have options thanks to a new credit initiative launched at the nation’s leading musical instrument retailer.

Guitar Center, operator of 260 stores nationwide, and Synchrony Bank, formerly GE Capital Retail Finance, reached a multi-year agreement that allows Guitar Center to provide a private label credit card program. The program is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2015 and also includes a stipulation that Synchrony Bank acquire the assets of an existing card program.

New technology innovations pop up in retail all the time. The Amazon Dash button made a splash on April Fools Day, and before the end of the month Apple Watch will offer consumers a whole new way to engage retailers.

Every time a new retail technology innovation rears its head, pundits proclaim that the whole consumer-retailer relationship will be instantly re-invented. And the relationship between consumers and retailers has changed dramatically since the introduction of e-commerce 20 years ago.