Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Retailers who do not offer an option for online or mobile shopping may find their customers opting out. A new survey of U.S. and Canadian consumers from MasterCard, “The Psyche of Shopping,” shows that consumers have purposely chosen not to buy something when a retailer did not have an online payment option (68%), a mobile payment option (19%), or an in-app payment option (14%).

It’s no secret that e-commerce is continuing to grow as a portion of holiday shopping volume. But a newer trend shows that holiday e-commerce growth is shifting away from the desktop channel. According to a new survey from digital promotion platform RetailMeNot Inc., mobile app visits and transactions closed on desktop visits and transactions during the 2014 holiday season. If the trend keeps pace in 2015, mobile visits and transactions will surpass desktop visits and transactions as a holiday e-commerce channel.

What growth there is in the food channel these days is being driven by specialty products and the trend shows no sign of abating.

October will be over in a flash, and with it, all eyes will be on the holiday season, which is measured from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.

The 2015 retail calendar has several distinctions, as we saw Memorial Day fall on the earliest possible date and Labor Day on the latest possible date. This holiday season, there are 28 days between Thanksgiving (not counting the actual day) and Christmas, which is an average amount for the period separating the two holidays.

A new consumer survey from e-gift software provider Loop Commerce reveals some common reasons why consumers are hesitant to buy gifts online.

The survey shows that one in four (25%) respondents cited worrying about buying the wrong size, while another roughly one in four (24%) respondents cited worrying about the hassle of returns as the most common reasons they hesitate to buy gifts online. Nearly one in five (18%) respondents cited concern about getting their gift to the recipient on time.

Consumers may make merry during the upcoming holiday season, but mobile devices may be less a part of the action than retailers like.

According to a new survey from marketing automation platform provider Bronto Software, only 19% of holiday shoppers plan to purchase from a tablet, and 22% from a smartphone.

Consumers will use mobile devices to search for the best deal: 65% will look for promotions and coupons, 63% will check prices on that store's website and 61% will search for lower prices at another store or site.

As the holidays approach, retailers are hoping the convenience and immediacy of e-commerce will prompt high volumes of online gift purchases.

But according to a new survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers from e-gift software provider Loop Commerce, there are some common problems that make consumers hesitate to buy gifts online.

New rankings from the Great Places to Work Institute suggests the retail and consumer packaged goods are not good industries for women.

The only retailers to make the institute’s top 100 list of best places for women to work were Build A Bear Workshop (10), The Container Store (27), Wegman’s (54) and L.L. Bean (84). The CPG industry fared even worse with not a single company included in the top 100.