Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

New York - A majority of parents plan to spend more on their children's back-to-school shopping this year, driven by rising costs or necessity rather than greater spending power. According the Accenture Back-to-School Shopping Survey, which polled 500 U.S. parents of children entering kindergarten through college, nearly all (89%) plan to do most of their back-to-school shopping in a physical store, though many will still use online to browse and search, or "webrooming."

New York - Households with school-aged children (pre-school through 12th grade) plan to spend more this year on back-to-school necessities with a predicted increase of 9 % for an average spend of $655, according to the 15th annual survey conducted by Brand Keys.

Average anticipated spending in all major back-to-school categories reflect higher levels from 2013:

Clothing: $348 (+16%)
Shoes (athletic & dress) $127 (+15%)
Supplies $ 89 (+13%)
Computers/Electronics/
Tablets/Smartphones: $213 (+12%)

Pittsburgh – Net income at GNC Holdings Inc. slipped during the second quarter of fiscal 2014, falling 2% to $69.89 billion from $71.69 billion in the prior year period. For second quarter 2014, the company reported consolidated revenue of $675.2 million, a decrease of 0.2% as compared to consolidated revenue of $676.3 million for second quarter 2013.

Cleveland -- Shopping ranks as a favorite activity among nearly half of all teens and young adults aged 13 to 24. According to a new survey of more than 1,000 teens and young adults ranging from ages 13 to 24 conducted by Alexander Babbage in partnership with Forest City Enterprises Inc., shopping at malls ranked above a virtual shopping experience among the entire group, with the 13-to-17-year-old age group showing the strongest preference for a bricks-and-mortar shopping experience.  

New York - June 2014 showed levels of imports to the U.S. 6% higher than imports in June 2013. According to new data from Panjiva, the numbers of shipments coming into the U.S. also changed .03% from May 2014 to June 2014.

Although Panjiva analysis indicates imports are strong and the U.S. economy generally looks optimistic, a possible port workers strike brewing in California could disrupt 40% of the waterborne goods coming into the country. Situations in the Middle East and Ukraine may cause supply chain disruptions as well.

Target is looking to bolster sales results in Canada by appealing to parents and students this back-to-school season, offering everything from fashion to school supplies at prices that it touts as “unbeatable.”

New York – Business-to-consumer e-commerce sales are expected to reach $14.7 trillion globally in 2014, up about 20% from $1.23 trillion in 2013. According to a new study from EMarketer, this figure will gradually increase to almost $2.36 trillion in 2018.

Chicago – Physical stores continue to be customers’ preferred shopping channel and a place where the most significant consumer and retailer value is created, according to a new report by A.T. Kearney.

The firm’s “Omnichannel Shopping Preferences Study” found that stores play a crucial role in online purchases, as two-thirds of customers purchasing online use a physical store before or after the transaction. The survey covered all age segments — teens, Millennials, generation X, baby boomers, and seniors.