Consumer Attitudes & Behavior

New York City -- Coach's third-quarter net income increased 18% amid higher demand in North America, which helped offset an estimated $20 million hit to its revenue from Japan's tsunami and earthquake. Same-store sales in North America rose 10.3%. Analysts said Coach’s results offered further proof that spending by affluent shoppers is back on track and rising faster than other segments.

Net income rose to $186 million for the three months that ended April 2, up from $157.6 million a year earlier. Revenue rose nearly 15% to $950.7 million.

New York City -- The high price of cotton is one of the biggest challenges that J.C. Penney Co. faces this year, chairman and CEO Mike Ullman said during a panel discussion at Southern Methodist University, the Dallas Business Journal reported.

Cotton prices in March hit their highest levels in decades after floods in Australia and Pakistan and freezes in China wiped out farmers' crops. That means consumers will see rising clothing prices for the first time in more than 20 years, Ullman said, who predicted increases of 5% to 20%.

The recent opening of the 500th Vitamin Shoppe store was heralded as an important milestone for this rapidly growing company but within a few years the nation’s second largest nutritional products specialty retailer could be eyeing 1,000 units.

“There are many markets we are interested in establishing a presence in, and we will continue to move forward with our growth plans to expand in current markets and penetrate new ones,” Vitamin Shoppe CEO Tony Truesdale said on the occasion of the opening of the 500th store in St. Peters, Mo., earlier this month.

Chicago -- Fifty percent of Americans use a mobile device to navigate their shopping journey, according to a new study released by Arc Worldwide, Leo Burnett’s marketing services arm.

The study -- “Marketing to the Mobile Shopper” -- found that mobile shopping has become a way of life for Americans. This trend is changing the traditional shopping journey and leaving companies with a serious ultimatum: deliver valuable mobile experiences or risk losing customers.

New York City -- A survey released Tuesday by Deloitte found that falling home prices and rising energy costs have negatively impacted consumer purchasing power.

The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index tumbled in March due to a drop in real home prices and a decline in real wages driven by rising energy prices. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

New York City -- A recent survey by Deloitte found that the proliferation of smartphones – coupled with social network popularity -- has had a significant impact on what consumers expect from retailers and their in-store shopping experience.

I’m not much of a follower of astrology and the signs of the zodiac, but I do know that 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese calendar.

It seems somehow fortuitous that speed and agility define a year that is all about economic recovery. And retail is moving forward at a rate that, while not exactly hare-like, is at least faster than the proverbial tortoise.

NEW YORK — Consumers that seek timely and detailed information about product recalls look to multiple resources, according to a new Deloitte survey.