Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

New Albany, Ohio – Abercrombie & Fitch Co. reportedly plans to shift its marketing and merchandising focus from teens to college students. According to Bloomberg, Abercrombie executives said they will shift marketing, assortments and pricing to appeal to the collegiate market.

Issaquah, Wash. – Costco Wholesale Corp. is reportedly attempting to draw in younger customers. According to The Seattle Times, after recently missing quarterly earnings estimates, Costco is taking active steps to attract a younger shopper demographic.

These steps include piloting a same-day delivery service with Google in San Francisco, building up its social and online efforts, and increasing its offerings of organic products such as kale.

Kmart and Sears are among a group of companies identified as “the least engaging brands of 2014,” in a recently released index of customer loyalty.

"A brand can't do well in today's marketplace if it can't engage consumers, no matter how many ads are run, and no matter how much social networking one does," said Robert Passikoff, founder and president of Brand Keys, a New York-based brand loyalty and emotional engagement research consultancy.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) calculated retail employment was down 6,700 in February 2014, yet up 205,500 year-over-year. The biggest job losses were seen in electronics and appliance stores, and sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores.

Chicago – Sixty percent of Millennials would be willing to provide details about their personal preferences and habits to marketers, whereas Baby Boomers are much more protective of their personal information. According to a new study from Mintel, even for the most private of information, at least 30% of Millennials who claimed they would not provide it said they would do so after receiving an incentive offer (i.e., a $10-off coupon toward their next purchase), whereas for Baby Boomers only 13% could be swayed by these same type of incentives.

Lenexa, Kan. - Only about four-in-10 (39%) of consumers are "very confident" that using a credit or debit card was safe. Half (49%) of consumers surveyed were only "somewhat confident." In light of the mass retail payment security breaches in recent months, Balance Innovations surveyed shoppers about their confidence in using credit and debit cards at their primary grocery store and whether they have changed their payment methods in response.

Boston -- Target’s database breach in December 2013 not only affected the retailer’s fourth quarter comparable store sales, but also contributed to plummeting shopper penetration post-holiday. Kantar Retail ShopperScape data indicates that just 33% of U.S. households reported shopping at Target or SuperTarget during January 2014, the lowest penetration number for Target in the past three years, and a 22% decrease in penetration compared to January 2013.

Target’s database breach in December 2013 not only affected the retailer’s fourth quarter comparable store sales, but also contributed to plummeting shopper penetration post-holiday.

Kantar Retail ShopperScape data indicates that just 33% of U.S. households reported shopping at Target or SuperTarget during January 2014, the lowest penetration number for Target in the past three years, and a 22% decrease in penetration compared to January 2013.

National Retail Federation president and CEO Matthew Shay and chief economist Jack Kleinhenz issued a response to the organization’s February jobs report.

“While there are signs of modest momentum in the economy, now is not the time to play partisan politics with the recovery by forcing federal mandates on retailers and small business owners like an increase in the minimum wage,” Shay said. “Such policy decisions could hamper economic growth and actually drive up the unemployment rate.”

Los Angeles — The Lipsey Company has named CBRE Group the top global brand in commercial real estate for the 13th consecutive year.

A training and professional development firm specializing in commercial real estate, Lipsey has surveyed commercial real estate professionals on their perceptions of the industry’s leading brands since 2001. More than 100,000 U.S. and international professionals participated in the 2014 survey. Respondents included property owners, investors, lenders, occupiers, brokers and property managers.