Research Topic

Internet shopping is extremely popular, but how much room for further growth is there?   According to a new study of more than 3,300 U.S. consumers age 15 and up from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the overall move to online shopping is expected to slow considerably during the next three years.  

If it seems like more if your inventory is disappearing, you’re probably not imagining things.   According to the 2016 National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail Security Study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Florida, retailers’ inventory shrink averaged 1.38% of retail sales, or $45.2 billion in 2015, up by 3% from $44 billion the previous year.  

The combination of a cool spring and the continued pullback in luxury apparel spending took a toll on Neiman Marcus Group in the company’s third quarter.    The department store retailer’s profit plunged 80% in the period ended April 30, down to $3.8 million from $19.8 million in the year-ago period.    Total revenue for the quarter fell 4.2% to $1.17 billion, down from $1.22 billion a year ago.   Same-stores sales fell 5%.   

Solid. That’s how many industry analysts described retail sales in May.   Driven partly by rising gasoline prices, sales increased 0.5% in May, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, above the 0.3% gain economists expected. Excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, retail sales rose 0.2% unadjusted over April, according to the National Retail Federation.   

Retailers often treat millennials like some sort of marketing Holy Grail, but there may be some simple ways to boost revenues from this emerging consumer generation.

According to a new study from online marketing platform provider Cue Commerce, “Consumer Moments of Truth,” the 80-plus-million shoppers who are part of the millennial generation can be categorized into the following five broad shopping personas.

Retail real estate leaders and analysts discuss the retail landscape, trends in the industry, and projects to keep an eye on.

Watch the videos here.  
 

High-quality malls and lifestyle centers are best positioned to capitalize on the shift toward experience-based spending.    That’s according to a new study by the research arm of MetLife Investment Management (MIM), which finds that millennials’ preference for acquiring experiences and memories over material goods will play a significant role in determining which retail formats will outperform in the future.   

E-commerce is generally popular with consumers, but some offerings are better received than others.
 
According to the Walker Sands 2016 Future of Retail Study, based on a survey of more than 1,400 U.S. respondents, most consumers shop online with some level of frequency. Forty percent shop online once or more a month, 21% one- to two-times a week, and 7% three or more times a week. This means that about two-thirds (68%) shop online at least monthly, while only 4% shop online one- to three-times a year.