Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

A strong report on Friday from the Labor Department shows that retail employment was up 51,100 jobs in February on the heels of a gain of 52,100 in January.

Compared with February 2015, retail jobs were up by 247,300. The numbers exclude gasoline stations, automobiles and restaurants.

Costco Wholesale Corp. is raising entry-level wages for its hourly workers for the first time since 2007.

The move comes as other major retailers have been upping the minimum wages for their entry-level workers amid a tightening job market.

Starting this month, Costco will pay workers $1.50 more per hour in the U.S. and Canada. Workers will now earn at least $13 or $13.50 per hour, up from a minimum of $11.50 or $12 per hour.

More than 45% of consumers say the opportunity to earn rewards is a primary driver for purchasing from a brand, according to a new study from Maritz Motivation Solutions.

The report, The Maritz LoyaltyNext Customer Study, surveyed 2,000 consumers on their loyalty to and engagement with brands.

When asked why they purchase from a brand, a majority of consumers cited “the ability to earn points and rewards, as well as good promotions and low prices.”

In fourth quarter 2015, mobile phones served as the primary engine of online retailing.

According to the fourth quarter “Demandware Shopping Index,” mobile phones were responsible for all growth in digital visit (112%) and basket (104%) size. Rates exceeding 100% indicate that digital visits and baskets actually shrank among users of tablets and PCs.

Mobile phones also accounted for a solid 68% of majority of digital order growth, with tablets and PCs accounting for the other 32%.

Super Tuesday shed a very strong light on what the general election campaign is going to look like as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump performed well and solidified their frontrunner status.

More importantly, it was essentially a validation of Donald Trump's campaign style and strategy so far. Whether you are a fan of The Donald or not, it is clear that part of that strategy has been focusing on social issues like immigration, race and other political hot potatoes and pushing issues important to Main Street merchants to the back burner.

When it comes to marketing technology spend, retailers are overwhelmingly allocating dollars to a particular consumer touchpoint.

According to a new survey of more than 200 retail marketing executives from digital savings platform RetailMeNot Inc., "The Rise of Mobile Marketing Spend in Retail," 87% of retail marketers plan to invest more in mobile marketing in 2016.

In comparison, 73% of respondents plan to increase non-mobile digital advertising spend and 62% plan to increase their offline advertising spend.

Pet Supplies Plus will target California as part of its strategic growth plan for 2016.

The nation’s largest pet franchise, which has more than 330 locations in 26 states, announced it will expand into the Golden State to grow its base of multi-unit franchise partners.

When it comes to fraudulent online transactions, one state in particular may warrant a little extra attention from retailers.

Analysis of millions of 2015 e-commerce transactions by Experian indicates Florida is the overall riskiest state for billing fraud, followed by Delaware; Washington, D.C.; Oregon and California. Billing fraud states are determined by where the consumer whose information was illegally used resides.