Research Topic

Airport stores see big boost in sales
Increased security in airports is helping to boost sales in airport stores. Travel retail, particularly in airports, is currently a bright spot in the retail world. Spending in airports hit $38 billion globally in 2016, according to GlobalData. It is set to grow by 27% to $49 billion by 2021.
Survey: The most patriotic retail brands are…
Levi Straus is the second most patriotic brand in America. And Ralph Lauren isn't far behind. That's according to the 15th annual Brand Keys survey of iconic American brands, which asked 4,860 consumers, balanced for age and political party affiliation, to evaluate which of 280 brands were most resonant as to ‘patriotism.’ Jeep took the top spot in the survey for the second consecutive year. (For complete listing of the 50 most patriotic brands, which includes several retailers, see end of article.)

Walmart leads grocery paid-search ads — but for how long?

Walmart leads the pack when it comes to paid search advertising in the grocery category. That’s according to new research from AdGooroo. The search marketing intelligence provider analyzed 124 non-branded grocery store and grocery delivery keywords from June 2016-May 2017.
Retailers losing billions to inventory shrink

The nation's retailers lost a staggering amount of money in 2016 due to shoplifting, organized crime, internal theft and other types of inventory shrink. Inventory shrink totaled $48.9 billion in 2016, up from $45.2 billion the year before, as budget constraints left retail security budgets flat or declining, according to the annual National Retail Security Survey by the National Retail Federation and the University of Florida. The thefts amounted to 1.44% of sales, up from 1.38%.
Will there be a bidding war for Whole Foods Market?

Amazon may face a contender for Whole Foods Market. JP Morgan research analysts said in a note that Walmart could step in as a rival bidder for the grocery chain, reported CNBC, attracted by Whole Foods' more affluent customer base and strong brand.
Deloitte: Retailers have false sense of cyber-security

A majority of companies, including retailers, are confident about cyber-security, but their confidence may not be justified. That’s according to “Cyber Risk in Consumer Business,” a report from Deloitte. The report is based on input from more than 400 CIOs, CISOs, CTOs and other senior executives.
Office supply giant close to buyout in blockbuster deal

Staples is close to returning to private ownership. Private equity firm Sycamore Partners is in advanced talks to acquire Staples, according to numerous media reports. The deal could top $6 billion, reported Reuters, which said Sycamore is in the process of finalizing a debt financing deal with Staples. Sycamore repeatedly beat out Cerberus Capital Management in an auction.
The Grocery Wars: How to build immunity against low-cost competitors
Study: Why shoppers choose offline over online

Physical stores still have some key benefits over online retail.
Wireless carrier expanding its store network in California

Sprint continues to expand its presence and investment in Southern California. The company plans to add more than 550 new jobs and 78 new retail locations throughout the Southland by the end of 2017. The new jobs will include a combination of retail, operations and technical experts. Currently, Sprint operates more than 300 branded retail locations throughout the Southern California region.
Study: M-commerce growth helps shrink mobile user acquisition costs

Consumer reliance on mobility throughout their shopping journey presents a huge opportunity for retailers to engage shoppers. This is according to “Mobile Shopping: User Acquisition Trends and Benchmarks 2017,” a report from mobile app marketing provider Liftoff. The study analyzed 26.9 billion ad impressions across 4.8 million app installs between April 2016 and April 2017.
Study: User-generated content influences most purchase decisions

Not only is user-generated content (UCG) the go-to source for 90% of shoppers making a purchase — it outranks all other forms of marketing. This is according to “Hearing the Voice of the Consumer: UCG and the Commerce Experience,” a report from TurnTo and executed by Ipsos. the report represents responses from more than 1,000 U.S. shoppers who made an online purchase in the past 12 months.