Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly criticizing the Senate for blocking consideration of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act, which would renew Trade Promotion Authority. Trade Promotion Authority is legislation from Congress outlining objectives and oversight for trade negotiations between the U.S. and other countries.

Austin, Texas – Americans are known for their generosity, and that stereotype holds true when they go shopping. A new survey of 3,030 U.S. consumers across all ages by social responsibility firm Good Scout, “Change at the Checkout,” shows that 71% of respondents have donated to charity at the register.

Consumers surveyed listed “charity brand recognition” as the number one reason they feel compelled to give to charity at the register. The second leading reason is personal connection to the cause.

Toronto -- Canadians are not flocking over the border as much as last year, according to a recent cross-border shopping survey by marketing research firm GfK. Deterred by higher US exchange rates, Canadians are less willing to make the drive, despite the wider product selections available stateside.

San Jose, Calif. – The shift of the Easter shopping season to March 2015 from April 2014 (Easter fell on April 5, 2015, the first day of fiscal April) had a substantial negative impact on year-over-year retail sales results. According to the RetailNext Retail Performance Pulse, sales dropped 12.5% compared to the same month a year earlier, while sales per shopper (SPS) actually increased 2.4%.

Boston – With engaging the customer and managing the customer experience as top priorities for retailers, Boston Retail Partners’ 2015 CRM/Unified Commerce Survey indicates that 87% of retailers plan to use gamification to engage the customer within five years.

New York – Subscription retailers outpace e-commerce retailers and flash sale businesses by a long shot when it comes to a customer’s average numbers of orders in the span of a year. According to analysis of more than 10 million orders from 2.5 million unique customers by Retention Science, subscription retailers average 7.68 orders per customer in 12 months.

In contrast, e-commerce retailers only average 2.36 orders per customer in 12 months, and flash sale retailers only average 1.41 orders in that time span.

Seattle - The intersection of technology and retail, online, in-store, apps, mobile, can enhance the shopping experience for women 25-40. According to a new report from Waggener Edstrom, “Romancing the Store: Reconnecting in the Empowered Shopper Era,” when done correctly, tech offerings can be a seamless part of the overall experience and help bolster sales.

New York – Despite some reservations, a federal judge is reportedly refusing to block a proposed settlement between Target Corp. and MasterCard related to the retailer’s 2013 data breach. According to Reuters, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in St. Paul, Minnesota declined a request from a group of banks and credit unions to rule against the $19 million settlement.