Research Topic

San Francisco - Shopping activity in March 2015 was relatively flat compared to the same month the prior year, yet rebounded from a lethargic and wintery February. According to new monthly benchmark data from Euclid Analytics, traffic declined less than expected year-over-year due to holiday shopping for an early-April Easter.

In-store engagement improved significantly year-over-year, as consumers’ desire to spend re-emerged after a subdued winter. Euclid estimates sales growth in the following retail verticals of:

Jeffersonville, Ind. – Retailers worried that it will take a while for consumers to become comfortable engaging in omnichannel commerce via wearable technology can rest easy.

According to new research from Accent Marketing, half of more than 1,000 consumers surveyed said they would buy wearable tech so brands can send alerts and have more insight into their lifestyle.

And three in four Millennial respondents said they believe wearable technology is a new way for brands to engage consumers. Other key findings include:

New York -- The United States is the top market for e-commerce, followed by China and the United Kingdom, according to A.T. Kearney’s 2015 Global Retail E-Commerce Index. Although e-commerce remains less than 10% of total retail sales in the United Sates, it has seen consistent growth, and rose by 15% in 2014.

Rockaway, N.J. – Party City is joining the initial public offering (IPO) party. The retailer has filed paperwork for an IPO that could raise as much as $428 million and value the company up to $2 billion.

One of the main reasons Party City wants to take its celebration public is to support planned growth of 350 new North American stores. The retailer currently operates 900 Party City stores, as well as the Halloween City, Factory Card & Party Outlet and Party Packagers chains.

Phoenix – Leslie’s Poolmart Inc. will open 15 new retail locations throughout the U.S. on Thursday, April 9. Cities with new stores will include Auburn, Bakersfield, Ceres, Palmdale; San Mateo and San Rafael, California; Rockledge, St. Augustine and Tallahassee, Florida; Gainesville, Georgia; Glenpool, Oklahoma; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Hudson Oaks, Texas; Queen Creek, Arizona and Monroe, Louisiana.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. is extending its college tuition assistance plan for workers to cover the entire cost of getting an online bachelor's degree. The coffee giant launched the program with Arizona State University in June 2014. At the time, it was limited to juniors and seniors looking to complete their degrees. But in a major expansion of the benefit, Starbucks said it will now cover the full cost of the four-year online degree.

In a column I wrote between Black Friday and Christmas last year, I talked about how “apparel sales have been languishing”, and I mentioned that the “industry buzz is all about the struggles in apparel, where retailers just can’t seem to discount clothing enough to get things to pick up.”

Revolving doors can provide measurable ROI for retail and hospitality – way beyond the widely recognized energy savings from reduced air infiltration.  Meet Mark Perkins with Boon Edam, as he discusses revolving-door ROI, branding, the use of existing space, loss prevention and more.

New York -- Prospects for stellar rent growth and low vacancy helped make San Francisco the top-ranked city, followed by New York, in Marcus & Millichap’s 2015 National Retail Index, an annual real estate ranking of 46 major U.S. markets. Rounding out the top five: San Jose (#3); Austin (#4) and San Diego (#5).

New York -- Smartphones are now responsible for more than one-third of online transactions globally, and the growth of larger screen sizes and better mobile sites is only going to accelerate this trend, according to a new study by Criteo. By the end of 2015, the mobile share of e-commerce transactions will reach 33% in the U.S., and 40% globally.