Research Topic

How fast a retailer offers delivery of online purchases plays a big role in sales conversion and loyalty. According to a new survey of 650 U.S. consumers from same-day delivery provider Dropoff, 60% of respondents reported they have decided not to purchase from a retailer due to slow delivery speed. Almost all consumers (97%) said speed is at least somewhat important in determining whether or not they will purchase a product. Forty percent said it is very important.

Ace Hardware took home "record" first quarter revenues of $1.2 billion in the first quarter, an increase of 4.3% over last year. The message was a little more muddled for earnings. Though its first quarter net income of $26.1 million was down 12.7% year-over-year, that figure was still 12.0% ahead of plan. It was also a planned reduction owing to the timing of promotions.

Comp-store sales for the quarter were up 6.5% - with comps for the U.S. stores up 7.4%.   Net earnings for the three months ended May 1 were $1.8 billion, up 14.2% compared with net earnings of $1.6 billion in the same quarter last year.  

The retail supply chain is one of the most male-dominated areas of the historically male-dominated retail industry, but a growing number of female executives are shifting the paradigm. During the Women in Supply Chain & Technology luncheon held at the recent Manhattan Associates Momentum 2016 conference in Orlando, Florida, three veteran female retail supply chain practitioners discussed the challenges and rewards of their pioneering careers.

Online reviews, for better or worse, are a permanent part of online reputation marketing for most businesses. Retailers, service providers, franchises, law firms and other professionals hang on every star given by customers. But not all online reviews are the same. In a comprehensive dive into the numbers provided by businesses, the following five conclusions were drawn from the data. 1. Star Ratings Are Important to Searchers

The nation’s two leading retail associations issued critical statements in response the release of the overtime rule by the U.S. Department of Labor. Under the new regulation, issued by the Labor Department on Wednesday, most salaried workers earning up to $47,476 a year must receive time-and-a-half overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours during a week. The previous cutoff for overtime pay, set back in 2004, was $23,660.

Retailers’ margins could be under pressure during the first quarter as a new index tracking promotional selling shows full price sales have declined and promotional activity has increased.

Retailers are relying heavily on discounts and promotions so for this year, continuing the trend from the 2015 holiday season of pulling the promotional lever far too often, according an analysis of $5 billion in consumer transactions from January through March conducted by DynamicAction.

While you wouldn’t know it from first-quarter slump among department stores, total retail sales posted their biggest increase in April in a year, allaying fears of a consumer falloff.