Research Topic

Half of all American households might have an Amazon Prime membership by the end of this year.

Cowen and Company analyst John Blackledge estimates that approximately 44% of U.S. households are Prime members, and that  penetration could accelerate to 50% by the end of the year, according to a report by CNBC.   

Prime has maintained healthy growth largely due to [its] increasing value proposition," Blackledge said. 

Dollar stores and off-price chains account for half of the spots on a list of 10 retailers adding the most new store square footage, according to commercial real estate and analytics firm CoStar.       Walmart tops the list, followed by Dollar General and Forever 21, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.     Click here to read more.

Target Corp. is putting the kibosh on what probably sounded like a good idea, but turned into what some shoppers called a nightmare.   In a pilot program that started in August, the discounter rolled out mini-shopping carts for kids in approximately 70 stores. But some kids apparently went wild with the little red carts, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported, crashing them into other shoppers, dumping merchandise into them and bruising their ankles and shins. Complaints about the kiddie carts went viral.  

E-commerce may lose some appeal among shoppers this holiday season.   While some industry analysts are predicting more than 15% increases in e-commerce growth during the 2016 shopping season, NetElixir’s “2016 Holiday Outlook” report predicts that e-commerce growth may only hit 11%. This conservative gain is being blamed on earlier-than-usual promotions and purchasing of holiday gifts; retailers’ use of online marketplaces rather than exclusively selling directly on their sites, and the uncertain political environment.

It’s no trick: Halloween spending is at an all-time high.   As Americans continue to splurge on their favorite candy and costumes in preparation for the upcoming Halloween season, the National Retail Federation’s annual survey reported that spending is expected to reach $8.4 billion — the highest level in the study’s history.  

This year, Hanukkah and Christmas Eve both fall on the last Saturday before Christmas, dubbed Super Saturday, which is likely to have a dramatic impact on traffic on that day.   

Forget apparel, electronics and gift cards. Free shipping is expected to be the most-coveted wish among many shoppers this holiday season.   That’s according to the “The September 2016 Holiday Retail Report” from Radial and CFI Group, in which 91% of respondents said they would be willing to increase the size of their online order to qualify for free shipping.  

The National Retail Federation filed suit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday on behalf of the millions of employers and employees who it said will be drastically affected if the Labor Department’s changes to the federal overtime rules go into effect on Dec. 1.   Retailers have argued that the new rule will force employers to reduce hours and base pay in order to make up for increased payroll costs.  

Chip-based payment terminals seem to be everywhere. But that does not mean they are being used the way they intended.    However, almost a year after the imposed Europay, MasterCard, Visa (EMV) mandate deadline, barely one-third of retailers actually accept chip-based payments, according to an infographic from The Strawhecker Group (TSG).  

Ascena Retail Group Inc., which operates apparel stores under the Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and other banners, on Monday reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings worse than Wall Street expected and also gave weaker-than-expected guidance for fiscal 2017.   The parent company of Lane Bryant, Ann, Justice and other apparel banners reported net income of $13.8 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.