Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

New York -- The average gift card dollar volume growth on a year-over-year basis increased 10% during the last six months of 2011, with consumers shopping earlier in the holiday season for prepaid cards and adding more value to their purchases than in 2010, according to a study by First Data Corp.

CHICAGO — While consumers will continue to define value based on price, other key trends, including new product development, technology, store layouts and shopping patterns will drive the market in 2012, according to SymphonyIRI research.

In its latest Times & Trends report, "CPG 2011 Year in Review: The Search for Footing in an Evolving Marketplace," SymphonyIRI said that in order to effectively compete in the market, consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers should take note of the following predictions:

New York -- During the 2011 holiday season, the top retail apps and websites combined — Amazon, Best Buy, eBay, Target and Walmart — reached nearly 60 % of smartphone owners, according to Nielsen.

“The majority of smartphone owners used their devices for shopping this past holiday season,” said John Burbank, president of strategic initiatives at Nielsen. “Mobile shopping has reached scale and is only going to grow as smartphone penetration continues to rise.”

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Ross Stores continues to deliver on consumers' demands for value and delivered a profitable fourth quarter that met Wall Street expectations. The company reported that profit for the quarter ended Jan. 28 rose 19% to $192 million, from $161.8 million last year. 

Sales surged almost 12% to $2.4 billion, and same-store sales increased 7%.

For the full year, Ross reported a net income rise of 18% to $657.2 million. Sales increased 9% to $8.6 billion, with same-store sales up 5%.

As Walmart CFO Charles Holley noted recently during an investor conference, the company was pleased with its February sales. Unseasonably warm weather surely played a role as did a surge in promotional activity which seems oddly inconsistent with the company’s renewed emphasis every day low prices. The number of ad pages increased 58% to 41 total pages compared to 26 the prior year, according to promotional research firm Market Track.

Tide laundry detergent is so popular with shoppers that it is regularly featured on the cover of Target’s weekly circular as a means to generate customer traffic, but it appears the detergent brand’s popularity is causing it to generate the wrong kind of traffic. A story by the Associated Press points out this week that Tide has become a frequent target of shoplifters at retailers nationwide and the new currency of an underground economy.

New York City -- A study released Wednesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers found that determining what office workers spend going to work, during the business day, and immediately after work prior to returning home can provide a better understanding of the opportunities that exist for retail, restaurant, and service establishments in proximity to office parks or buildings.

Among the survey highlights:

NEW YORK — Many companies can claim they have excellent customer services, but now Saks Inc. has the award to back that claim up. The company announced that it was recognized at the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Roundtable in Orlando, Fla. on March 14 as a 2012 Customer Service Champion—one of only 50 companies to have earned this distinction this year.