Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

New York -- Although consumers are defecting in growing numbers, the majority say they could have been retained, according to survey results released Wednesday by Accenture.

According to the Accenture Global Consumer Survey, in 2012 one-in-five consumers switched companies they buy from -- including retailers, wireless phone and Internet service -- marking a 5% increase in switching over 2011 levels. However, the survey also found that 85% of consumers say the companies could have done something differently to prevent them from switching.  

Chicago -- A report on Wednesday from ShopperTrak showed that retail foot traffic increased 3.7% and sales increased 2.3% year-over-year for the week beginning Nov. 25, ending Dec. 1.

This represented a 28.8% decline in traffic and 22.4% decline in sales from the 2012 Black Friday shopping week.  

Reston, Va. -- Online holiday spending reached $21.4 billion for first 32 days of the November-December shopping season, up 14% year-over-year, according to comScore.

The most recent week saw three individual days eclipse $1 billion in spending, led by Cyber Monday, which became the heaviest online spending day on record at $1.46 billion. However, growth rates softened considerably in the wake of Cyber Monday and through the weekend.       

Washington, D.C. --  Retailers will lose an estimated $8.9 billion to return fraud this year, and $2.9 billion during the holiday season alone, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Return Fraud Survey. Overall, retailers estimate 4.6% of holiday returns are fraudulent.

Framingham, Mass. -- A survey by Staples of 1,000 American shoppers revealed that the majority tend to wait until the last minute to mail holiday gifts.

The Staples Winter Holiday Survey found that two-thirds of those polled confessed to sending holiday cards out too late and nearly half admitted to shipping gifts at the last minute.

Houston -- A Tuesday report by NPD Group found that total consumer traffic through convenience stores was down 2.1% in the third quarter, compared with the same period last year.

NPD’s convenience store market research reports that the traffic decline this quarter was largely driven by lower purchase frequency (5.9 visits per 30 days), but was also influenced by a slight decline in the overall reach of the channel (only 50.2% of consumers aged 16+).
 

Thorofare, N.J. -- Retailers in the United States are expected to lose $8.9 billion over the holiday season as a result of shoplifting, dishonest employees and vendor or distribution losses, according to a new study released by the Centre for Retail Research. In total, the losses could represent a 4% increase over the same period last year.

Solon, Ohio -- Black Friday and Cyber Monday does not always mean lower prices, according to a study by ECRM Analytics that examines Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. The analysis exposes many common misconceptions around these two important shopping days.

ECRM found that when comparing Black Friday deals to other times throughout the year, it is apparent that holiday prices are not always the lowest, with leading retailers promoting higher prices than previously advertised on toys and consumer electronics.