Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

When it comes to payments, cash and cards still reign supreme. But one digital alternative is not far behind. Those are among the key findings of a new study, “How America Pays,” by Blackhawk Network, that surveyed more than 1,000 Americans in March 2016 to examine preferences for traditional and emerging payments tools and the role payments play in consumers’ purchasing decisions.

The risk associated with a possible security breach claimed the top spot for the first time ever in an annual ranking of the top 25 risk factors by retailers. Security risks shared the top spot with general economic conditions, which have remained tied at the top since 2013.

The mergers and acquisitions market in consumer-retail overall will be active in 2016, but will also return to a more rational market with better balance between buyers and sellers and more reasonable deal values for higher-risk acquisitions.

Traditional supermarket retailers are facing competition on all fronts, from online pure players, discount grocery chains and from the extreme-value general merchandise retailers (dollar stores). While dollar stores remain a niche segment, consumables are becoming a more important part of the sector, according to a report on forbes.com.

A surprising decline in retail hiring helped trigger a weak employment report for April.

Job growth in April slowed sharply to a seven-month low. The report gave back growth seen earlier in the year, and the retail industry — excluding automobiles, gasoline and restaurants — showed a decline of 4,900 jobs, the National Retail Federation reported.

Online consumers appear to be remembering Mom this year.

According to new data from the Adobe Digital Index, online sales in the important Mother’s Day gift categories of flowers/gifts and jewelry are both trending 2%-3% higher than they were in 2015.
 

Five retail chains rank among the top 10 brands doing a poor job when it comes to emotional engagement, a measure of how well brands meet consumer expectations, according to an annual survey.

Everyone is talking about the huge impact millennials are having on retail. Also known as Gen Y, they are usually considered to occupy the 18-to-35 age demographic. But what about Gen Z, the younger siblings (or even children) of millennials?
 
Based on what we’ve seen so far, here are three ways Gen Z will change retail in the next few years.
 
Video Killed the Retail Star